


Blood On Union Square

by Jude_Rigby



Series: Beware Of Darkness [6]
Category: Castle (TV 2009)
Genre: Crime, Drama, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, San Francisco, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:08:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 143,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28196682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jude_Rigby/pseuds/Jude_Rigby
Summary: Arriving in San Francisco, Castle and Beckett find themselves assisting in a murder investigation at the request of the SFPD when a body drops outside their hotel. Looking into the case while they explore the City by the Bay, they try to find the killer before another victim is discovered. Sixth in the Beware of Darkness series.
Relationships: Kate Beckett & Richard Castle, Kate Beckett/Richard Castle
Series: Beware Of Darkness [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2006014
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue- A Celebration

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this story is something I came up with as I was walking through the actual Union Square (and in case anyone's wondering, the picture I have for this story part of a picture I took, it's the statue at the very top of the monument in the middle of Union Square). And the title of this chapter is the title of a song by U2, a non-album single.

The sound of whispers broke into Beckett's sleep, and she turned onto her side as she woke up, realizing who it was. She listened to the conversation, smiling under the covers at what the two were saying.

"My mommy won't care if I wake her up," Julia whispered, tugging on her friend Celia's hand.

"But she's asleep," Celia replied.

"I'm gonna go wake her up and tell her what day it is," Julia said firmly before she hurried inside and then climbed up onto the bed. She slid under the covers before slipping into her mother's arms. "Mommy?" she said, shaking her arm.

"Hey," Beckett said, opening her eyes finally and smiling widely at her daughter. "You're up a little early today."

"It's my birthday," Julia said proudly. She hurried to sit up as Beckett did and said, "Did you remember?"

"I did," Beckett said, hugging her tightly to her. "Here," she said, kissing her cheek six times. "Five and one to grow on."

Giggling happily, Julia hugged her mother tightly and then turned to the doorway calling out, "You can come here Celia she's awake now."

"Come on Celia, it's alright," Beckett said, smiling as the little girl peeked into the room. "Okay, so you're five now sweetie," she said once she'd helped Celia up onto the bed. "Castle and your uncles and aunts aren't coming over for…" she began before looking at the clock on her nightstand. "For another three hours. So it's up to you what we do after breakfast."

"What about Grandpapa?" Julia asked eagerly.

"He'll come around twelve too," Beckett said. "For right now though, I think we should get changed into something green."

"Oh, it's St. Patrick's Day," Celia said, having been watching the two with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I don't wanna get pinched," Julia said before she and her friend climbed down off the bed with Beckett's help. She took Celia's hand and they ran to her bedroom before her mother helped her friend dress first. "What do I wear?" she asked a little impatiently.

"I saved this for you," Beckett said with a smile as she took out a box from the dresser. "For you to wear on your birthday if you like it."

Peering into the box, Julia smiled widely at the outfit inside and nodded at her mother, letting her change her before she brushed her hair and put a green headband on her head.

"That's really green," Celia said when they were finished.

"Yeah, I like it," Julia giggled, spinning around once to let her green and white plaid skirt bell out above her black leggings. "And I like the shirt too Mommy," she said as it was a white Beatles shirt.

"I'm not surprised," Beckett said. "Now we can measure how tall you've grown," she said, grabbing a chart that had a giraffe on it before hanging it on the wall. "Come here sweetie."

Hurrying over, Julia stood straight against the wall, looking up as her mother marked the chart with a pencil. When she was standing next to her mother she jumped a little in excitement as Beckett filled in the line with pen and wrote ' _Julia- 5 years old, March 17th, 2014_ ' next to it. "Did I grow?" she asked.

"You did," Beckett assured her, though she was a little disappointed to see Julia was slightly under the average height of a five year old girl. She shook that off, knowing that was partly because her daughter hadn't had enough time outside the first four years of her life; but she was still growing which she tried to remember. "Alright you two," she said to get their attention as she stood and put the chart away. "I'm going to change, so you can play out in the living room, just be careful okay?" She watched the two girls hurry out to the room, and soon heard them giggling as she walked to her room. Smiling to herself, she had a hard time believing that she was actually celebrating her daughter's birthday as a year before she had still not even known who Julia was. It was a very unsettling sensation, and she pushed the thought out of her mind, focusing instead on what needed to be done instead as she changed into a deep green sweater.

* * *

"Hi, I'm not too late am I?" Castle asked as Beckett opened the door to let him in.

"No, early enough," Beckett said before there was a loud shriek of laughter that made her shake her head.

"So how was it last night?" Castle said as he set down the bag of gifts he'd brought with him.

"Interesting, I really thought I'd have to stay with them so they could sleep, but they were out like lights pretty much as soon as I said goodnight," Beckett said. "I guess taking them to the playground for an hour was enough to wear them out. I told you not to spoil her didn't I?"

"Two of these are from my mother," Castle said as he took five presents out of the bag. "One for the lunch with the co-workers and the other for after when we have dinner. The other's from Alexis."

"Are you sure you want to stay for the other party?" Beckett asked, watching him set aside the gifts in the entry closet, a little out of the way.

"I said yes," Castle said. "Now, two things," he said as he turned to her. When she asked what as he didn't continue, he leaned down to kiss her before he told her, "The other thing is where do these go?"

"On the table," Beckett said with a smile. "You know we just saw each other yesterday," she teased him as she went into the kitchen.

"And your point?" Castle asked as he set the presents out. He heard a squeal then and turned to see Julia running out of the room. "Hey, there's the Birthday girl," he said as he scooped her up once she'd reached him. He laughed when she told him excitedly about her outfit and said, "Hold on, first I have to say Happy Birthday, and good thing you're wearing green."

"Were you gonna pinch me?" Julia asked with a little giggle.

"Nope," Castle said, having started to answer before he glanced at Beckett and changed his mind.

"But he would have to Mommy, those are the rules," Julia said seriously to her mother.

"I know, but no pinching today," Beckett said. "Though too bad you wore green," she said when there was a knock at the door. "Sounds like your grandpapa sweetie," she said to Julia. "The party's going to start." She walked over to the door as Celia came out and said a shy hello to Castle. She took a quick look out of the peephole before saying, "Make that your grandpapa and Martha," before she opened it to the two. "Hello Martha, Dad, thanks for making it," she said as she stepped aside for them.

"We managed to arrive at the same time," Castle's mother said. "A coincidence, but we are very eager to see the birthday girl."

Once Castle had set her down, Julia ran to her grandfather first, hugging him tightly before she did the same with Martha, letting them both wish her a happy birthday. Beckett, watching as they then told the little girl how much she'd grown up, was a little surprised when she heard another knock on the door.

"I guess the party is starting," Castle said to her. He went over to the couch as she went to open the door and he saw that it was the remainder of the lunch party guests.

It took a little time before things settled down as Esposito, Ryan, Jenny and Lanie said hello to Julia and the others, but once they were all gathered on the couch and chairs with their food for lunch in the living room, the little girl went to her mother, climbing on her lap. "What do we do now Mommy?" she whispered.

"Well, it's time for lunch," Beckett said. "And then after we have dessert you can open your gifts."

"I think you'll like my gift Julia," Esposito said, eating some food off his plate. He saw Lanie was rolling her eyes and he asked, "What?"

"He and Ryan were arguing about this the whole time we were on the elevator," Lanie said simply. "Well, arguing is too strong a word, it was more-"

"Betting?" Beckett asked. She rolled her eyes when her friend nodded and said, "Really guys, about a child's birthday gifts."

"Yeah, it's more about who picked out the better present," Ryan said. "Who was smarter. You want in Castle?"

"You know, I think I'll actually pass," he said, glancing at his fiancée. "I got Julia a gift and if she liked it that's up to her. But good luck on that bet, because I get the feeling neither of you is going to collect on it." When the two men looked at him he nodded simply towards Beckett.

"Oh hey, her gift or gifts aren't included," Ryan said.

"Come on bro, go up against her mother? No way," Esposito said incredulously. "But we might cancel that bet, Julia doesn't look too happy," he said to Ryan.

"I will like my presents a lot," the little girl said simply as she had her mother help her down to the ground before she hurried over to Jenny who was smiling at her.

"She's right," Beckett said with a smile as she watched Ryan taking a picture of his wife and Julia. "Celia," she then said to the little girl. "Are you okay?" she asked since she knew the girl was very shy around strangers.

"Yes," Celia whispered, looking down at her plate of food.

Julia noticed the exchange and she went to her friend, sitting on the floor next to her and eating. She then reminded her of the day before, when they'd gone to the playground for an hour with her mother, and they were soon chattering happily together.

"She had her first sleepover here last night didn't she?" Lanie asked. "How'd it go?" she said after Beckett had nodded.

"Not too bad, they had fun," Beckett replied. "What?" she said to Esposito when she noticed he was holding up his phone towards her. "Are you taking my picture?"

"Nah, you mind if I get some of this party filmed, because this is very interesting," Esposito said. "I'm kidding," he then added when Ryan hit his arm with the back of his hand and at the same time Beckett gave him a steady look until he put away his phone. "Don't usually see you like this, think you can treat a couple suspects like this, you know the ones with their heads up their…" He trailed off, looking at the girls and then said, "The ones that don't really want to talk."

"You know, I think my method I have now is pretty good, I don't think we'd have the closure rate we do if I acted like these suspects were my kids," Beckett said, finishing her drink. "It would be too disturbing actually," she said as she stood. "Anyone want their drinks refilled?" she asked. When no one indicated they did she headed to her kitchen and as she was filling her glass asked, "Something up?"

Lanie didn't say a word, and instead handed her a piece of paper that was folded in half. "Please, just read it," she said before her friend could throw it away.

Breathing in deeply, Beckett unfolded it and said, "Klaus Peters, okay, Lanie, you know how I feel about you doing this. I mean, I appreciate you're trying to help me out with my love life but…"

"You need to think about dating," Lanie said. "When was the last time you had a date? And I know, I know you have a daughter now but Kate, really, Julia could use a father."

"You're absolutely right, and when I've found him, I'll let you know," Beckett said with a sigh, not really getting angry since she was too used to the doctor trying to set her up. "I've yet to find a guy who'll raise a child that's not even mine, let alone his," she then said, looking at Castle quickly who glanced over at her at the same time.

"You'll find him, who knows, Klaus might be the guy," Lanie urged her. "I told him about Julia, he knows her story, and he doesn't mind."

Beckett didn't reply to that, and simply handed back the paper, not moving until Lanie had it back in her pocket.

"You're not lonely at all?" Lanie asked her.

"No, I have Julia, I have my friends, I'm good," Beckett said, unable to stop herself from grabbing her pendant. "Sweetie, are you finished?" she asked with a slight laugh as a smile spread across her face as Julia walked over with Castle, both of them carrying plates in their hands.

"I tried to get her to give those to me, but she said she wanted to help," Castle replied. "I think she wants her gifts," he said in exaggerated whisper, making the little girl giggle at that.

"Can I open them?" Julia asked hopefully.

"Go ahead," Beckett said, shaking her head.

Hearing that, Julia turned and ran over to Esposito and Ryan and said seriously, "Are you still going to bet?"

"Nah, we changed our minds," Esposito assured the girl. "And it wasn't really fair, since Jenny helped Ryan pick out his gift."

Julia smiled and then went to the coffee table where her mother set down a pink box and she asked, "Do we eat those now?"

"Yes," Beckett said. "Since Julia's having cake later," she explained to the others; though Castle, Martha and her dad already knew. "I let her pick some cookies to have for dessert now."

"We don't get to sing _Happy Birthday_ to her?" Jenny asked.

"You will," Jim said as they watched Julia pick a cookie from the box.

Beckett quickly pressed a small candle holder into the cookie and lit the blue candle she set in it before everyone sang quickly for her daughter before the wax could drip down. She glanced at Castle and smiled when Julia squeezed her eyes shut tightly as they sang, and then blew out the candle.

"Great job Julia, what'd you wish for?" Ryan asked as they all picked out a cookie and sat back to wait for the little girl to start opening her presents her mother and grandfather were bringing over to the table.

"I can't say, 'cause it won't come true," Julia said. She bit her lower lip a little and then asked her mother, "Can I make another wish for my cake or does it have to be the same?"

"I think you can have different wishes," Beckett said. "Okay," she said once all the presents were on the table. "I don't know if you want to open these in order sweetie."

"Can I open the small ones and then open them bigger? Celia did that at her party and it was fun," Julia said, smiling at her friend who gave her a smile in return.

"Go ahead," Beckett said, sitting in the armchair that was next to her daughter.

"This one," Julia said, picking up the smallest of the gifts. "Mommy, can you read?"

"It's from your grandpapa," Beckett said, not having to look at the tag. She smiled as Julia ran over to him and leaned against him as she unwrapped the gift hurriedly.

"Ooh, they're pretty," Julia said happily when she saw the earrings inside. "Look, they're green like my eyes," she told Celia and the two looked at the stud earrings together.

"Pretty nice," Lanie said. "They match her eyes really nicely."

"I'm very lucky she likes the color green as well," Jim said before Julia turned to him and kissed his cheek. "You're welcome Julia," he said when she told him an exuberant thank you.

Picking up the next gift, Julia smiled as it was from Ryan and Jenny, and she unwrapped a box to reveal a large set of colored pencils inside. "Thank you," she said quickly, looking up at them.

"Keep looking inside," Jenny urged her.

Julia took out a box of crayons, and three coloring books before she came to the tissue paper. As soon as she had looked to see what the books were of, she jumped up and went to the two, thanking them before she went back to open her next gift. That one was from Martha, and was a dress in whites and blues. She smiled when Martha whispered into her ear it would be perfect for San Francisco, and nodded in agreement before going back to sit next to Celia.

Glancing at Castle and then at Esposito when her daughter began to open his gift, Beckett couldn't help saying, "I'm surprised you two called off the bet."

"Hey, she wanted us to stop, so we did," Esposito said.

Gasping in surprise, Julia pulled out a yellow stuffed toy and wrapped her arms around it tightly saying, "I got a minion!" She was about to get up to thank Esposito when he stopped her and told her she had something else in there. She pulled out a t-shirt with one hand, blue with minions from the movie _Despicable Me_ on it. She squealed and then went to hug him; still holding both things in her hands; before she went to show her mother.

"That's a pretty good gift Javi," Beckett said, holding the shirt up to Julia. "And now I see why you were asking me her size. Why don't you open the other one Ryan and Jenny has for you and then they can relax," she said, glancing at the two out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey, it's not every day we need to get a gift for a five year old," Ryan said defensively, Esposito agreeing with him.

"And girls can be difficult to get gifts for," Esposito said. "I bet you Castle's got a great gift."

"I like this one," Julia said, looking up from the gift she'd opened; a white stuffed horse.

"Good choice," Castle commented. "You said she's crazy about horses?" he said jokingly.

"Pretty much," Beckett said, trying not to smile too widely at that as Julia thanked Ryan and Jenny. "Okay, now you can open the last two."

Once she had it on her lap, Julia tore off the wrapping paper on the gift from Lanie, and inside were some more dresses and some t-shirts. She exclaimed with Celia over each item, and after she'd looked through the whole box, she ran to the doctor and hugged her tightly, thanking her happily for everything.

"I'm a little interested in seeing what this one is," Ryan said as Julia opened the last gift; which was from Castle. "Biggest box out of all our gifts."

Shrugging, Castle didn't say anything, just sat back and watched as Julia opened the box and pulled out two sets of toy horses that he knew she wanted. It was also a safe gift to open with the others there, less likely to bring any questions as to why he'd given her that. He glanced at Beckett as Julia and Celia immediately started taking out the horses and began playing with them and the stuffed horse and minion she'd gotten as well. He saw her slight smile as she looked at him from the corner of her eye, and as Ryan brought up a recent Knicks game, he breathed out slightly, pleased that Julia was enjoying it as he could obviously tell watching her laugh with her friend.

* * *

"That went pretty well," Beckett said, walking back to the couch where Castle was sitting with Julia, looking at one of her horse figurines.

"It did, and I think Julia had fun, which was the important thing," he said as he looked down at the little girl who nodded without looking up.

"So they didn't ask why we were staying?" Martha said as she folded one of the dresses that Julia had gotten from Lanie. "This is a gorgeous dress by the way."

"It is," Beckett said with a smile. "And no, they think you're staying until the next party starts."

"How are you doing?" Jim asked.

"For throwing two parties, not too badly," Beckett said, leaning back on the couch. "Luckily the first one wasn't too detailed. Neither is the second, but there'll be more kids this time."

"Four Richard said?" Martha asked.

"Three are coming, but Celia will make it four," Beckett corrected her. "Her friends Betsy, Lilia and Katrina. Betsy's mother is bringing them and will stay to help out with Anita. You really don't need to stay for that," she said to Castle's mother. "They might get a little… boisterous."

"No, no, I don't mind at all, it's been fun celebrating with Julia and I want to continue," Martha said. "And I'm sure you could still use the help. After all, I have the experience of raising Richard and helping him with Alexis, I think I can manage the girls that will be here."

"And you Dad?" Beckett asked, turning to her father.

"I'm fine," Jim said absently as Julia had gone over to him and was showing him the horse in her hand.

"Okay, sweetie, let's get these gifts cleaned up before the other party starts," Beckett said, standing up.

"You can keep playing," Castle said as he stood up. "I'll help your mom."

Taking the box where all the clothes Julia had gotten were, Beckett went to her daughter's room, waiting until Castle joined her, carrying the box with Julia's new art supplies and the stuffed horse and minion in his other arm. "What is it?" she asked as she took the stuffed animals and set them on the bed for her daughter to put away later.

"No gift for her?" Castle asked, setting the box on the small table next to the dresser.

"I'm waiting until after we eat dinner," Beckett explained. "I want her opening them in a slightly more…"

"You mean with fewer kids around?" Castle said.

"Well, yes, but that depends on you if there's going to be more than one," Beckett said before she left.

"Hey, I think I've been doing pretty well," Castle said before he turned as they could both hear footsteps running to them.

"What's wrong Julia?" Beckett asked as the little girl hurried in.

"Can I wear my new clothes in San Francisco?" Julia asked eagerly. "Martha said to wear her dress there, that I should wear it there," she corrected herself rapidly.

"Yes, and… there are your friends," Beckett said at the loud knock. "Let's go ahead and let them in."

Julia took her mother's hand tightly before waving back at Castle as they walked over to the door. She greeted her three friends as they entered with Anita and Betsy's mother, Lauren. She took the other girls to the table as Celia greeted her mother, and they began playing with the horse figurines as Beckett introduced the two mothers.

"Okay, I don't know if you want to come with us," Beckett said once she was finished. "We're heading to the park and if the weather holds we'll stay for a while before we come back here for cake and gifts."

"I'll join in the group," Martha said, standing. "Until I feel ready to return."

"I think I'm coming too," Jim said as Julia grabbed his hand and pulled on it until he stood.

"Then let's head out," Beckett said, glancing outside. She was the last out of her apartment and when she stepped into the hallway she saw that Lauren was talking to Castle before her daughter called her. "She likes you," she said jokingly to him as she walked down the hall.

"How long are we staying at park?" Castle asked.

Looking at him since it was an obvious deflection, Beckett shook her head saying, "You heard what I said before. Now, Anita has some idea of us, but Lauren not so much."

"So behave?" Castle asked. When Beckett nodded he asked, "Shouldn't you be saying that to your daughter."

"She knows already," Beckett said simply. "But no, I'm kidding, I know you won't do anything that risky."

"But it's going pretty well, today," Castle said, since they'd turned the corner and saw everyone else ahead of them at the elevators. "Your planning paid off."

"Planning that was so early I actually had to come back to it once we got to March," Beckett said, shaking her head. She smiled at her daughter as she ran up to them, and took her hand before they got onto the elevator, smiling at Castle as he followed them.

* * *

"Dinner's here Julia," Castle called as he walked to the table from the door where he'd taken the pizzas he'd ordered.

"And what about us Richard? We're starving looking after five very rambunctious girls," Martha said. "You're very lucky," she said to Beckett as they were walking to the table.

"Believe me when say I know," Beckett replied with a smile. "But I think it was a fun birthday still," she said to her daughter who was climbing up onto her chair.

"Yeah, that was fun at the park," Julia said, watching as the adults all got drinks and plates. "When can we talk to Alexis?"

"After you open your gifts," Beckett said. "Which is going to be after dinner," she said quickly before Julia could ask that. "So eat, slowly, and then we'll get to your gifts."

"Can I have more cake?" Julia asked, bouncing on her knees as her mother got her a slice of pizza. She was smiling as she remembered her cake, which her mother and Castle had ordered specially for her, decorated with horses on top made of fondant that she hadn't wanted anyone to eat.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Castle said, sitting down at his usual chair. "You have any more sugar then you're not going to fall asleep." When he saw Julia didn't see the problem with that he reminded her, "You have school tomorrow."

"He's right," Beckett said. "But you still have a while until you need to go to bed, so your birthday's not over yet."

Julia pouted for a moment, and then sighed before she started to eat, listening to everyone else talk around her. She wasn't really interested in what was being said, but when she heard her grandfather say San Francisco her head shot up and she paid close attention.

"I really wish I could have managed to work out some time off, but the lawsuit I have is taking longer than I thought it would," Beckett's dad was saying.

"I wish you could come Grandpapa," Julia said to that.

"We'll try and go on a trip, just the three of us," Beckett said. "We should try and visit your cabin once we get to summer Dad."

"That would be a good idea," Jim said as he saw Julia looked eager at the idea. "But we can plan that later. I'm guessing she's very excited for San Francisco?"

"Incredibly," Castle said.

"It's all she talks about now we're getting closer to Saturday," Martha said. "And I'm surprised that book you bought her hasn't fallen apart."

"I know," Beckett said with a slight smile as Julia seemed to be a little embarrassed. "But, you know you've been very eager for our trip too."

"Yes, but, you can't blame me," Castle said slowly since she'd been looking at him.

"I don't, and it will be nice to see the city again," Beckett said. "We've still got six days to go, so why don't we focus on everything we have to do before we can leave?"

"Speaking of focusing," Castle said, glancing around the table. "I think we're finished," he told his fiancée as a hint.

"And now you can open the rest of your presents," Beckett said to her daughter. "Go ahead and wait and we'll bring them out once we're finished cleaning up."

Julia cried out when Castle picked her up out of her chair before setting her down. She ran to the living room and climbed up on the couch, grabbing her Stitch doll as she watched her mother and Castle cleaning up while her grandfather and Martha joined her.

"You had a pretty good birthday kiddo," Martha was saying when Beckett and Castle began to get the last of the gifts from the entry closet. "Opening gifts three separate times, not many people get to do that."

"She has a lot of family and friends," Beckett said with a smile. "Do you want to open them the same way you did before?" she asked her daughter.

"No, I wanna open Martha's first," Julia said, looking at all the boxes.

"Thank you Julia, I really hope you'll enjoy this one," Castle's mother said as Julia took off the ribbon holding the white box closed.

"It's a costume!" Julia said eagerly, parting the tissue paper and pulling out a dark blue dress from the mid-1800s. "And two costumes, thank you," she said happily as she touched the green velvet on the second one which was made in the Tudor style.

"Those are really nice," Castle said. "And yet again; I couldn't get you to help me with my costumes."

"It's more of a challenge to make these dresses than just a pirate costume," Martha said, waving her hand before Julia came over to hug her. "Plus you managed to dress up like a pirate still even without me making the costume for you."

"But they are beautiful," Beckett said, her dad nodding in agreement since they were looking at them. "I'll add my thanks to hers."

"They were fun to make," Martha said. "Who's next?"

"My gifts," Castle said as Julia went back on the couch. "This one first," he told her.

Opening the present Julia started pulling out books from the box inside and she squealed as she saw some were picture books and others were thick books. "Look at how many Mommy!" she said eagerly.

"That's actually from us both," Beckett said, looking at Castle.

"Sorry, I really thought that was the other gift," he said, making a face. "Open the other one Julia."

A little surprised, since she had been about to thank him, Julia quickly opened the box her mother handed her, pulling out a toy set of an airport. "Ooh, this is what I said I wanted," she said eagerly. "Does the plane go to San Francisco?"

"It'll go wherever you want it to," Castle assured her. "But there's more."

Going back into the box, Julia pulled out a small blue box and said, "This is for me?"

"Of course," Castle said with a smile. He laughed then when Julia almost jumped off the couch to run to him. He hugged her back and said, "You can't really play with that one, but it'll be a nice decoration for your room since you kept asking me for it."

"It's so pretty," Julia said happily as she looked at the model Air Jamaica plane. "Just like the one we saw at the airport."

"We'll put it together another day okay? For now open the rest of your presents," Castle said.

Hurrying back to her mother, Julia opened the next gift which was from her and Castle. She lifted the lid off the box and her mouth dropped open in response as soon as she saw what was inside.

"What is it?" Martha asked.

"They're records, of Paul!" Julia scream whispered. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried as she ran to hug Castle again before doing the same to her mother.

"I want you to see one of the albums we were able to get," Beckett said, taking out one. "We thought you might want this one," she said, showing it to her.

" _New_!" Julia clapped as she jumped up and down. "Can we listen to it now?"

"Tomorrow when we get ready in the morning," Beckett promised. "Why don't you look in the box again?"

Looking confused, Julia did so, and she pulled out a book, seeing on the cover was a picture of her standing in front of a display at Citi Field; when they'd gone to see Paul perform. She opened it and flipping through the pages, saw it was full of pictures that were taken before, during and after the concert. She looked up at her mother and Castle and said, "For me?"

"We would have given it to you for Christmas-" Beckett said.

"But we didn't have the idea until after, so we decided your birthday would be pretty good," Castle finished for her. He laughed when Julia hurried to him and hugged him tightly before doing the same with her mother yet again.

"Sweetie, why don't you open the next-" Beckett started to say as Julia began to look at the book from the beginning when Castle's phone rang.

"It's Alexis, hold on," he said after he answered it. "Hey I thought you were calling at seven?"

"I'm sorry Dad, there was a study session for my history class that just got set up and I really want to go to it. Is it okay if I talk to everyone now?" Alexis asked.

"Let me get everything set here on the TV," Castle said quickly. "And actually, Julia's got three more gifts to open."

Looking down at the table; where there were only two, Beckett glanced up at him and then realized that he probably had something he hadn't told her about for her daughter. "Need help?" she asked.

"I've got it," Castle said before he turned on the TV and then his tablet, making sure the webcam was pointing to everyone. "See us Alexis?" he asked when she appeared on the screen.

"I see you, Happy Birthday Julia," Alexis said with a wide smile as the little girl jumped up, waving to her.

"We saved your gift for her to open," Castle said. "I'll let her go ahead and do that now."

At her mother's urging, Julia started to unwrap the present, and pulled out a stuffed sea lion and two coloring books about the city that were inside, along with a t-shirt that said I love SF, with a heart taking place of the word love.

"What do you think?" Alexis asked.

"I think she likes them," Martha said as everyone smiled, watching as Julia hugged the sea lion to her.

"Great, I hope that shirt fits, you see those all over the place here," Alexis said. "I got one too to wear back home."

"They're all great gifts," Beckett said, holding the shirt up to Julia. "And this will fit fine. What do you say sweetie?" she said to her daughter.

"Thank you Alexis," Julia said hurriedly, running up to the screen. "I like my seal."

"Sea lion," Alexis corrected quickly. "I can't wait for you to come and see the real ones here. So how has your birthday been?"

Julia chattered excitedly about almost everything she'd done that day, and all her gifts. But once she reached the point where she'd been opening the gifts after diner, she trailed off and said, "I wish you were here, I missed you here for my birthday Alexis."

"I know, I missed you too today Jules," the young woman said, using her recent nickname for the little girl as she saw Beckett kiss her daughter's temple gently. "But we'll see each other Saturday and we'll have nine whole days to spend out here in San Francisco. So don't be sad okay?"

"Kay," Julia said with a little smile as seeing Alexis doing so made her as well.

"I really don't want to go, but I'm going to miss my study session. Dad, Gram, I'll talk to you later. It's nice to see you Mr. Beckett. And Julia, Beckett, I'll see you guys on Saturday," Alexis said as she noticed the time on her computer.

"See you then," Beckett said as the others said goodbye. When the screen went dark she turned to her daughter as Castle turned off the TV and his tablet asking, "Ready for the last two gifts?"

"Yeah," Julia said, nodding. She reluctantly put the stuffed sea lion down, and then took the small box that her mother handed her. "Who is it from?"

"Me," Beckett said, watching with a smile as Julia furiously tore off the wrapping paper.

Removing the lid, Julia pulled out an old fashioned box camera, and she quickly put it back in. She jumped up into her mother's lap as best she could and cried, "Thank you Mommy! It's perfect!"

"You were able to find it," Castle commented as he picked up the camera.

"I know, I was almost going to let you take over, but luckily there was a shop on 115th that carried older cameras, and it was there," Beckett said. She smiled as Julia kissed her cheek and she hugged her daughter to her tightly. "You're very welcome sweetie, and I hope you'll take some great pictures and that you'll share them with me."

"Yeah," Julia said before going to Castle. "It's pretty huh?"

"It is, and it definitely looks just like the one Paul was holding in that picture," he said before handing her the camera.

"I think it's safe to say you had a nice birthday Julia," Jim said as she was showing him her camera.

"It's not really over yet," Castle said, glancing at Beckett as he got up. He went to where his coat was hanging, and took out a small box that he easily hid in his hand. "Come here Julia," he said, sitting next to his fiancée on the couch.

Putting her camera back in its box carefully, Julia skipped around the table before she stood in between her mother and him. "Is that for me again?" she asked a little shyly as he held out the box.

"Open it," Castle urged her, smiling as he could tell she was trying to keep her curiosity under control.

Glancing at her mother, who nodded, Julia pushed the lid up and she smiled widely at the necklace inside. "A emerald, for me?" she asked, looking up from the small oval pendant on a delicate silver chain.

"It is," Castle said, looking at Beckett.

Holding his gaze for a while, she looked down at Julia before Beckett said, "Do you like it sweetie?"

"Yeah, can I put it on?" Julia whispered, looking up at her.

"Yes you can, but let Castle do it," Beckett said.

Smiling at that, since he knew it meant she was fine with the gift, Castle took the box and took out the necklace before having Julia turn around. "I would have bought you an aquamarine like your mom has, since it's your birthstone," he told her as he closed the clasp. "But I thought you might like an emerald, it matches your eyes."

"Thank you," Julia said happily before she climbed up on the couch and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I'll wear it forever," she promised, kissing his cheek noisily.

"I'm glad to hear it," Castle said, looking over at Beckett, her hand reaching over and squeezing his arm tightly as she looked at him with a small smile on her face.

* * *

"So another year until we do that again," Beckett was saying as she took the mug of coffee that Castle handed to her. "But I think our first birthday with her went pretty well," she said, keeping her voice low since Julia was at the coffee table, coloring.

"It was," Castle agreed. "I wonder how we'll top this year."

"Give it a little time," Beckett said quickly. "You had some pretty amazing gifts for her though."

"I'm assuming you're bringing up the necklace?" Castle asked.

"I am, that was unexpected, incredibly so," Beckett said. "Is it because you gave me the aquamarine at Christmas?"

"Yes and no," Castle said, leaning against the counter next to her chair and looking at Julia. "I was thinking of those papers, and decided that if I'm her father, then I should give her a gift that wasn't really par for the course. Like you did."

"She does love gemstones," Beckett said. "And you made a good choice; it matches her eyes really well."

"It does, and I'm actually pretty proud of myself for that," Castle said. "I didn't have her in front of me while I was picking it out," he said when Beckett looked at him questioningly. "It won't be weird you both have pendants?"

"I don't think they'd suspect anything," she said, knowing what he meant by that. "It would make sense that I'd buy that for her."

"We did a good job with the records," Castle then said.

"And the books, and I'm including the concert one," Beckett said. "Thank you for getting the pictures together."

"So all in all a good celebration," Castle said as they looked at Julia at the same time. After they were quiet for a while he then said, "You're sure I can't stay?"

"I don't think so," Beckett said, smiling slightly as he looked a little annoyed. "No, I think I want to spend the rest of her birthday just us two."

"I don't blame you," Castle said. "But I'm going to insist you come over tomorrow."

"After I work on prepping for the trial on Tuesday?" Beckett asked. "And at your place because you're going to be writing?"

Castle opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, nodding with a slight sigh. "Yes, although I could help you out," he said.

"It's nothing I can't really handle," Beckett said. "And you have that chapter to finish."

"And that's why I can't stay over?" Castle asked.

"Partially, I do really want to spend some alone time with my daughter," Beckett replied, nodding to Julia. "We'll stay tomorrow night at your place," she told him. "And next week I'll be staying with you."

"You make a valid point," Castle said. "Okay," he said when he saw she was finished with her coffee. "I guess I should go since you've only got an hour until she goes to bed."

"Julia, come and say goodbye to Castle," Beckett called to her daughter as they walked to the entry.

"Thank you for my presents, I like them a lot," Julia said, hurrying to them. She waited a little impatiently for Castle to put on his coat and scarf before holding her arms up to him.

"I'm really glad to hear that, one of these days this week we'll get that airport set up," Castle told her as he picked her up.

"This one is my fav'rite," Julia said, touching her pendant.

"I'm so glad it is, because I wasn't sure you'd want another color stone," Castle said.

"It's pretty, and my mommy can have a blue stone," Julia said, turning the emerald so the green caught the light in the entry.

"Okay, I think we need to say goodnight, it's getting late," Castle said, pleased to see her reaction to the necklace. He kissed her cheek as she kissed his and said, "Sweet dreams Julia, I love you." At her nod he set her down, kissing her cheek a second time as he did so.

"You can keep coloring sweetie," Beckett said. When she and Castle were alone she turned to him and said, "You're very sweet you know."

"I try; sure it doesn't make you want to change your mind and invite me to stay the night?" Castle suggested. When she merely gave him a look he gave an exaggerated, suffering sigh and said, "Fine, but, you owe me."

"Owe you what exactly?" Beckett asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't have a chance to react when Castle grabbed her, pulling her to him before he kissed her deeply. She soon slid into that kiss as she recovered from the shock of it, and then wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her tightly to him.

Though he knew Julia would easily be able to see them, Castle couldn't really resist the temptation to make that kiss as deep as he could, not having had much of a chance to since he'd arrived earlier that day. And he was trying to forget Betsy's mother, who apparently had been after him as a rebound guy after just coming off a divorce. When he finally had to pull away to breathe, he leaned his forehead against Beckett's and said, "Had to get that out of my system."

"Lauren?" Beckett asked, unable to help smiling widely as she recalled how the woman had been trying to get her fiancé's attention almost the whole party.

"Never really was into a woman who was aggressively nice," Castle said, leaning down and brushing his lips across Beckett's jaw.

"Hmm, I know, you prefer a challenge," she said before they turned their heads towards each other and kissed again. Like before it was deep, but they took their time, her tongue soon coaxing his before they parted again.

"A challenge that really keeps me guessing," Castle said, panting almost. He kissed her third time, more eager in that one before they parted a while later, breathing very hard. "Oh, and you actually can pay back what you owe me tomorrow," he said.

Pushing on his shoulder, Beckett shook her head as they let go of one another and said, "Call me tomorrow Castle."

"I will. Night Julia," he called to the little girl.

"Night!" Julia called, having been peeking at them to see if it was okay to look up.

"Tomorrow," Castle said then as he looked at his fiancée. He couldn't help it, kissing her again, but that time it was much more chaste and quicker than their previous kisses.

"I'll repay you tomorrow, goodnight Castle," Beckett said once they had parted. She smiled slightly at him as he stared at her and then walked out into the hall. Once she had the door locked, she touched her pendant for a brief second, and then turned to Julia. "You can look up," she told her daughter, seeing she was holding her coloring book in front of her face. "I'm sorry if you don't like seeing that sweetie."

"It's okay Mommy," Julia said. "Now what?"

"Want to try out that camera?" Beckett asked. She laughed slightly when her daughter's face brightened and she took it out of its box before running to grab her hand.

* * *

"Is it gonna work?" Julia was asking as she spun around in front of her mother.

"We'll see," Beckett said. "Okay, so what do you want to take your first picture of?"

"Us," Julia said quickly.

"I thought you would," Beckett said in amusement, since the picture of Paul McCartney that had given Julia the idea of wanting the same camera was a selfie. "Okay, we better do it in the mirror," she said, going over to it with her daughter. "And I need to get on my knees or I won't be in it."

"Here?" Julia asked, holding up the camera.

"A little lower, perfect," Beckett said, watching the lens. She had to smile at their reflection, since she had her head over her daughter's shoulder, their pendants flashing blues and greens in the light of the room. "We'll take three pictures, just in case. Ready?"

"Yes," Julia said quickly.

"Smile… cheese," Beckett said before she could hear Julia press the shutter. She was surprised when her daughter did it twice more quickly, and she kissed her tenderly on the cheek saying, "I can't wait to see that picture."

"Me too, can we give one to Castle and the other to Grandpapa if they are okay?" Julia asked eagerly as her mother stood and then led her to her room.

"Of course, what about the first picture?" Beckett asked as she then started to get her daughter ready for bed.

"That's for you Mommy," Julia said with a wide smile as she hugged her tightly when she had her pajama top on. "To put in your room."

"Thank you sweetie," Beckett said, kissing her cheek. "I can't wait to develop it."

"Can I take that to San Francisco with me?" Julia asked after she was changed and her teeth were brushed.

"I don't think so, it might be a little too hard to carry around everywhere, I think you should take your first camera," Beckett suggested, brushing out the little girl's hair. "Okay, we can read a little more tonight; since it is your birthday. What-" she started to say when Julia slid off the bed and then ran towards her room. She smiled and shook her head as she put the brush away and coming out she saw her daughter run in with the San Francisco travel book she'd bought her. "You're going to get so tired of this once we're finished with it."

"Uh-uh," Julia said firmly as she climbed up on the bed using the steps next to it. She got onto her mother's lap once they were both sitting and said, "I wanna pick a page."

"Go ahead," Beckett said, kissing the top of her daughter's head. She smiled as Julia closed her eyes tightly, and then opened the book. "Ah, Fisherman's Wharf," she said, seeing the pages. "Where the sea lions are."

"Oooh, like mine," Julia said, looking at the end of the bed where all her new stuffed animals were along with the two she'd had before.

"That's right, you'll get to see them in person," Beckett said. "But there's more than just that. There's the Pier, and the carousel that you see right here, you can ride on that with Alexis if she wants to go with you." She then told Julia about Fisherman's Wharf as much as she could remember the last time she had been there, and had to smile frequently as her daughter listened in rapt awe; though she'd heard the same things before. They looked at the book again and at City Hall, Haight-Ashbury and also the pages on Berkley, before she closed it to put Julia to bed. "Come on sweetie, you've got school and I have work," she said to her daughter's complaint.

"Okay," Julia sighed. She slid under the covers and said, "This was the best birthday Mommy, ever."

"I'm so happy to hear that," Beckett said sincerely, leaning down and kissing her forehead. "Tomorrow you can tell your friends about your necklace, but we need to leave it here okay? That way you won't lose it on the playground."

Sighing, since her mother had taken it off as she was changing her, Julia nodded and said, "And I can tell them about my camera, my airport, my pla…"

Beckett laughed slightly when her daughter yawned, and she glanced at the model plane that was next to Kauai's tank. "Now I know it's time for you to get some sleep," she said, turning back to Julia. "Sweet dreams sweetie, I love you," she told her.

"I love you too Mommy," Julia replied sleepily. She shared a kiss with her mother, hugging her around the neck with one arm, and then settled under the covers with her Stitch doll under her chin as she was tucked in.

Staying on the edge of the bed, Beckett stroked Julia's hair until she was sure the little girl was asleep. She stood and took the San Francisco book with her, and after closing Julia's door, walked to her room, opening the pages randomly to Alcatraz and smiling at her own sense of anticipation at finally being able to see the city again, that time with her fiancé and daughter.


	2. To See That Bay Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put planes together in a terminal at JFK that I don't think are ever in the same ones, but I'm taking artistic license with that since there's a reason I chose the planes I did.
> 
> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Hong Kong Blues composed by Hoagy Carmichael, the version I took it from is sung by George Harrison, from his album Somewhere in England.

"Our luggage is set, we are checked in… I think we're ready to go," Castle said, setting Julia down in front of Beckett and his mother. "And with an hour to go still."

"Julia has her camera, and you have the whole airport terminal to walk through," Beckett said with a slight smile as her daughter jumped against her. "You need to walk for now sweetie," she said. "After we go through security then I'll carry you."

"I don't know about her, but I could very much use some coffee," Martha said as they headed to the line forming for the security checkpoint.

"You're not alone, but she's not getting any," Beckett said.

"I don't think she needs anything with caffeine," Castle commented as they watched the little girl hopping from foot to foot. "Any more and she'll be running around the terminal."

"And you'll be the one to go after her," Martha said. "Seeing as you're the fastest out of us."

"I won't run," Julia said, looking up at them. "But I wanna see the planes."

"We'll get there," Castle promised her. "We just need to do this stuff first."

"Kay," Julia said, taking her mother's hand and his. She looked on interestedly as they came to a TSA worker, and Castle handed over four tickets and four passports. "Is that important?" she asked.

"Very, we need those to get onto the plane," Beckett said. "Okay sweetie, you need to stay with me here, don't get lost," she told her daughter seriously as they walked up to the metal detectors.

Nodding, Julia stuck close to her mother, a little nervous at the men and women wearing uniforms. She walked through one of the metal detectors on her own, and nearly ran back as Castle walked through right behind her.

"Help me get my things," he said to her quickly to keep her from running back to Beckett who had yet to go through. "And make sure I have everything I set down," he told her as he took the bin with his shoes, the items he'd been carrying in his pockets and his watch.

"You did pretty well Julia," Beckett said, rubbing her back once she was getting her things. She sat down and slipped on her boots before she took her wallet and watch that Julia was holding for her. She kissed her cheek and then stood as they waited for Martha to get her things. "Okay, coffee?" she said to Castle.

"Coffee it is," he said quickly, taking Julia's other hand. Leading the way to the coffee shop he could smell was near, he watched Julia, seeing she was looking around with wide eyes, trying to take everything in. "Are you excited?" he asked her.

"Yeah, there's lots of people," Julia said in a whisper. "Do they all go to San Francisco?"

"Not all of them, they're going to different places," Beckett said. "You know, I was going to let you two go alone to look at the planes, but I think I'll join you."

"That would be nice, actually that's a great idea, I might forget the time and we would miss our flight," Castle said as they walked up to the coffee shop, making a face at Julia who giggled in response. He took care of their order, and as soon as they had their drinks, the little girl was grabbing onto the pocket of his jacket and jumping up and down hurriedly.

"Can we go, can we go?" Julia said eagerly.

"Mother, are you joining us?" Castle asked as Beckett grabbed Julia's juice from the counter along with her coffee.

"To our gate, I'll wait for you there until we can board," Martha said simply.

"You might want to walk to our gate ahead of us," Beckett commented when, as soon as they had come to the first gate, Julia pulled Castle to the windows to look at the plane there. "We're only three more down so we'll pass you soon… I think."

"Good luck getting those two back before the flight," Martha said wryly as they could see the two were pressed up against the glass.

"I'll try my best," Beckett said with a slight laugh. She walked over to the windows, and heard Castle telling Julia what type of plane it was.

"Do they all have numbers?" the little girl then asked him.

"They do," Castle said. "But there are two big names, remember I told you?"

"Yeah, Boeing and Air… Airbus!" Julia said. "Did I say that right Mommy?"

"You did," Beckett said, still a little surprised at how quickly her daughter had taken to airplanes after they'd been trying to get her to recover from seeing the crash they'd been in. "And what's this one?"

"It's my same plane," Julia said eagerly. "Air Jamaica and it's a… 737," she said, slowing down a little at the end to think.

"Pretty good, and a nice plane, the livery is interesting," Beckett said. "Did you get a picture?"

"Two and I got one of the birdie there on the side, it's a pretty color," Julia said. "Where is it going?"

"Kingston, Jamaica," Castle said, taking her hand so they could move to the next gate. "We should go a little faster Julia, that way we can see as many as we can before we get on our plane." When the little girl nodded, he led her to the next gate and said, "This is the same kind of plane we're going on, just a different name. This is a Lufthansa and it's a 747."

"That's a different name," Julia said, taking a picture of the plane before they went to the next gate. "Where is it from?"

"Germany, and it's going to Munich in the same country," Castle said.

"Is that where the Beatles went, Germany?" Julia asked before she took a picture of the plane at the gate.

"They went to Hamburg," Beckett said, taking her daughter's hand to stop her from going to the next gate. When Castle looked at her she whispered in his ear and watched him look out the window.

"Okay, this one's pretty special," Castle said after he shared a look with Beckett. He took Julia's other hand and they led her to the windows next to the plane and said, "Remember that plane that woman your mom protected drew for you?"

"With the horsies?" Julia asked. When Castle nodded she said, "That's not this plane."

"No, but she also made the livery on this plane," Beckett said as they all looked out the window at the British Airways 747 with the blue, red and white plaid along the tail and down to the fuselage.

"Oh, it's pretty, but, it looks like the plane you were on, when it fell and was on fire," Julia said, biting her lower lip.

"It's the same airline," Castle told her quickly. "But we're not flying on it, though it is going to San Francisco in a couple hours," he said as he saw the display next to the door to the jetway.

"You okay sweetie?" Beckett asked, picking her daughter up and kissing her cheek tenderly.

"Yeah, are you gonna be kay on the plane? And you?" Julia asked, looking at Castle as well.

"We'll be fine, come on, there are a lot more planes to look at if you want to keep taking pictures," Castle said.

"Yeah," Julia said, holding her arms out to him.

Walking along the windows, Beckett placed her hand on Castle's back, relieved that it looked like her daughter was going to be okay on the plane since it seemed she was more worried about them instead of herself. She looked at him as he reached down and took her hand as she moved it, squeezing it a little carefully as her engagement ring was there and had been since he'd put it on her that morning.

Walking around the rest of the terminal until they joined his mother, Castle was trying to make sure that Julia was alright since they still had a while to get onto their plane. But when she ran to where Martha was sitting, he guessed she'd be okay, and with her busy he turned to Beckett and asked, "Sure it's a good idea for you to wear that?"

"What did you want to do, wait until we reached the next time zone before I had you put it on? I was wearing gloves until we came inside," Beckett said simply. "Don't be so paranoid, it's unattractive."

Shaking his head, since he could easily tell she was joking, Castle looked at his watch and said, "We're-" when an announcement over the PA system interrupted him. "About to board," he finished after the female voice announced their airline and flight number and they was boarding first class.

"Come on Julia," Beckett called to her. "Give me your camera, and then hold our hands while we're going onto the plane."

"Your first time," Castle said as Julia looked to be a little unsure. "I wish I could remember my first time on a plane."

"You don't?" Julia asked as they walked up to the door and he handed their tickets to the employee.

"Not really, I've been on a plane so many times since then," Castle said simply as they walked through the doorway. "This is the jetway," he told her as she was looking around them a little worriedly. "It's just a tunnel to get us out to the plane since it can't park against the building."

"Yeah, the wings would hit won't they?" Julia asked.

"Pretty much," Beckett said. "See, here's the plane."

" _Bienvenue_ , welcome to Air France," the flight attendant said. "Is this your first time flying?" she directed to Julia. When the little girl nodded, she smiled and then said, "You should 'ave a nice flight today, the weather looks to be really nice. And I'll stop by later to see 'ow you're doing."

"Thank you," Julia said shyly.

Taking Julia's hand, Beckett let her walk ahead of her, leading her daughter through the plane until they had reached the stairs to first class. "Go on up sweetie," she said when Julia hesitated slightly. As she started up after, she thought of Castle and turned back to him.

"I'll be fine," he said quickly, seeing Julia was at the stop of the stairs. "Wait for us," he called to her when she looked down at him too before he continued up after his mother.

"We're here," Beckett said when she had located their seats, which were on either side of the plane in the same row. "Are you sure you don't want me to sit with you during the flight?" she asked Julia as they waited for Martha and Castle.

"I wanna sit here with Martha, Mommy," Julia said firmly.

Leaning down, Beckett kissed her forehead before she said, "Then let's get you buckled up."

"You know if you want to switch places with me," Castle said as he was taking their carry on bags and putting them up in the overhead storage. "You can Julia, I won't mind."

Nodding, Julia took her Stitch doll that her mother handed her, and was surprised when she sat next to her seat. "I wanna-" she began to say.

"I just want to tell you to remember that when we take off the plane is going to be noisy and it'll lean back too so we can get off the ground," Beckett said, running her hand over her daughter's hair. "But you'll be fine, just make sure you hold on to Stitch okay?"

"Kay, I'll be good Mommy," Julia said as Beckett checked her seat belt one last time and then stood up.

"There's no need to worry," Martha said, sitting next to Julia. "She and I will be just fine sitting together, especially since she has the best seat."

"Okay, when you can take off your seat belt you can come sit with us," Beckett said before she turned to Castle and went to the window seat. "I thought you'd want this one."

"I'll be generous," he replied after they'd buckled up. "But on the way back I get the window seat."

Smiling slightly, Beckett took out the safety instructions and read over them as Castle did the same next to her. As soon as she was done, she glanced over at Julia, seeing her looking at a magazine with Martha.

"Any reason why she wants us to sit with each other?" Castle asked her, looking over from them as well.

"Do you remember Skye drinking hot chocolate before flights?" Beckett asked. When he nodded she then said, "I think it's something like that, she thinks because we were sitting together on the plane we were okay."

"Interesting, I didn't think your daughter would be that smart," Castle said. "I mean Julia."

Smiling a little, since they had stopped using your when referring to Julia; and she had also tried to stop using my daughter when she was with him herself; Beckett asked, "Anything interesting in there?" She looked at the SkyMall magazine with him until the plane was finished boarding, and the pilot made a few announcements in both English and French, about their flight time and the weather in San Francisco. She looked over at Julia again the second she felt the plane moving back, and was surprised to see the little girl looking at her and Castle. She smiled and waved as Julia did so too, and leaned back against her seat.

"Are you okay?" Castle asked as the plane waited at the end of a runway.

"Yeah, you know how many times I flew my first year at Stanford to go back and forth?" Beckett replied. Before he could reply to that the plane began to taxi, and as it leaned back she wished she could check on Julia again. But she didn't hear any kind of crying or vocal reaction, so she relaxed until they were up in the air and then began to level out. She leaned over her fiancé again, and smiled seeing Julia was looking out of the window.

"She should be okay," Castle said. "Should I stop with all the airplane stuff we've been doing lately?"

"No, because you two have a bond with that," Beckett said.

"But you-" Castle started to say.

"I may be with you, but when it comes to the planes themselves, that's definitely all you two," Beckett interrupted him. She smiled when he nodded and she squeezed his arm saying, "Excited to see Alexis again?"

"Very much, since now I can see how she's doing out there," Castle answered. "And I know, there's only about two and a half, three months left until she comes back, but still, I'd like to see."

"That and the city," Beckett said with a slightly wider smile.

"That as well," Castle said. By then the pilot had turned off the seat belt sign and he stood up, going over to the storage compartment above his mother and Julia. "That was pretty neat huh?" he asked the little girl.

"Yeah, can I go see my mommy?" Julia asked eagerly.

"Go ahead," Castle said, getting her backpack and then pulling a wrapped package out before he went to sit next to Beckett.

"We're up high," Julia was saying as she peered out of the window.

"I know, it's pretty isn't it?" Beckett asked, kissing her temple.

"Yeah," Julia said before turning to her. "Mommy I'm hungry."

"We'll have breakfast soon," Beckett assured her before taking the package that Castle handed her. "Until then, why don't we open up your present?"

"Why do I get one?" Julia asked though she was already opening the gift.

"It's your first time on a plane, we have to celebrate," Castle said simply.

Beckett smiled as Julia pulled out a coloring book and a set of crayons, exclaiming over both before she pulled out a small ballerina paper doll book. She glanced at Castle, since he'd gotten that for her daughter. "So what do you want to do first?" she asked as she crumpled the paper into a ball.

"I wanna look at this first," Julia said, handing the coloring book and crayons to Castle and opening the other book.

"I think you made a good choice," Beckett said as Castle put them into the pouch in front of him.

"Looks like it," he said with a slight laugh as Julia had nearly thrown the items to him. When she turned to him then, he leaned over to listen to the little girl's explanation of the different costumes in the book that she was making up, glad that he and Beckett had successfully managed to get her to get over whatever fears she might have had her first time flying.

* * *

"So it's about eleven," Beckett said, looking at her watch. "That flight felt much longer."

"What time did we leave JFK?" Castle asked, rubbing his cheek.

"Not that early, but luckily we did sleep," Beckett replied.

"Though it looks like Julia didn't lose any energy," Martha commented as they looked at the little girl who was looking out the window, sitting in her seat again as she bounced up and down in excitement.

"Come on sweetie," Beckett said to get her attention. "We can go now."

"It doesn't look like San Francisco," Julia said as she went to Castle and let him pick her up.

"We're not in the city exactly, a little bit south," he told her as they left the plane.

"Alexis?" Julia then asked him.

"Where we're going to get our suitcases," Beckett replied.

"I'll give her a call to make sure she's at the right carousel… though she's probably doing what we did last month when she came home," Castle said to his mother. "Waiting where we come out."

"It's very likely," Martha agreed.

Once they were in the terminal, they headed out to where they could get to the luggage carousel and started looking for Alexis, but were unable to see her and had turned when they heard her calling them.

"Dad, Gram!" Alexis yelled as she was running through the people gathered at the exit for arrivals. She threw herself at her dad and then hugged her grandmother when she joined them. "I'm so glad to see you," she exclaimed.

"Can I say hi?" Julia whispered.

"Hold on," Beckett said, holding on to Julia's shoulder in front of her.

"Hey Jules," Alexis said then as she let go of her dad and grandmother. She smiled as the little girl ran to her and picked her up, kissing her cheek as they hugged. "I missed you a lot, how was your first time on a plane?"

"Fun, I didn't get scared, and I slept a lot, but I got to see outside," Julia said excitedly. "And I got a present from my mommy and Castle," she said as Beckett hugged Alexis quickly around her.

"I'm so glad you're here," Alexis said. "And we should go, because I kind of need to head back to Sausalito before we can go to the hotel."

"Any reason why?" Castle asked as they headed for the luggage carousel.

"I sort of forgot my suitcase at Diana's house," Alexis said, smiling widely.

"If you wanted us to go to her place you could have just said," Castle said, knowing she had done that on purpose.

"So you don't mind? Great, because some of my girlfriends from Berkley are going to be there," Alexis said. "They want to meet Julia."

"Why me?" Julia asked.

"Because I told them all about you," Alexis said, laughing slightly when the little girl blushed deeply and hugged her around the neck. "But it'll be quick, and then we can go to Union Square."

"Is it pretty?" Julia asked.

"The city? It's gorgeous, you're going to love it," Alexis said. "You saw all the pictures I sent, and wait until you see the hotel, I've walked by it a lot."

Listening in as they were waiting to see their luggage, Castle and Beckett shared a smile as Alexis was telling Julia all about the city, knowing it was going to take a while for the little girl's enthusiasm for the city to calm down even though they were finally there.

"Oh, and Dad? Beckett?" Alexis said suddenly as Castle was grabbing Julia's suitcase. "I kind of had to tell Diana's parents something. Hopefully you won't be mad," she said hesitantly as the two looked at her questioningly.

* * *

"Pretty amazing you're able to get around so easily," Castle commented.

"You have to learn," Alexis said since she was driving the car she'd brought to pick them up. "Diana shared some tips with me in the city; I'll share them with you if you want to drive?"

"I might leave things to you," Castle said. "We'll need to thank Judy and Daniel for letting us use their car."

"You're not mad I had to tell them about your engagement?" Alexis said, glancing in the mirror at Beckett.

"You told us they pretty much figured it out," Beckett said simply. "So you didn't really tell them. I'm not surprised that they did."

"Me neither, but as long as they won't say anything to anyone else it's fine," Castle assured his daughter.

"Here's the zoo, just past those buildings Julia," Alexis pointed out as they were going up the Great Highway along the coast. "I can't wait to take you there."

"And the beach is here too," Julia said eagerly, trying to lean over her mother though she was in her car seat they'd brought with them. "It's pretty."

"It is, but there's something else coming up you're going to love," Alexis said. She drove along the highway though it was longer, wanting to stay on the coast so the others could see the view and once they were in the Presidio area of the city itself she pointed to the red-orange tower ahead of them.

"That's the bridge!" Julia cried out as she saw. "Oooh, it's so tall!"

"That is pretty amazing," Castle said, taking a picture with his phone as they went through the toll booth. "You don't need to pay?" he asked his daughter.

"No, on the way into the city you do; that's how all the bridges are here, you pay to go in but not to go out," Alexis said. She glanced back at Julia and saw she was taking a picture saying, "Will we get the chance to walk across here?"

"I think we can work it in," Beckett said, looking out the window on the other side and seeing the people walking across on the east side of the bridge.

Winding through the hills of Marin County once they'd gotten off the bridge, Alexis got off at the Sausalito exit and it took a short amount of time before she was parking against the curb in front of a house on the water. "This is it," she said, smiling at her dad. "My home for the past three months."

"Nice," Castle said as they got out of the car.

"You're going to love the view from Diana's room, actually every room at the back of the house has great views," Alexis said, walking arm in arm with her grandmother to the door. "You should see their boat they have, it's in the marina over there, they sail around the bay in the summer, but they took me for dinner one night after I first got here."

"I remember you telling us, they seem to be well off," Martha said as Alexis knocked on the door.

"Very," Alexis said. "But they're really nice; I've been having a lot of fun here. Hey, they're here," she said with a wide smile as her friend opened the door. "You remember everyone of course."

"Hi, it's nice to see you all again," Diana said, stepping aside to let them in. "How was your flight?" she asked Julia. "Alexis told me it's your first time on a plane. And your first time in another state."

"It was fun," the little girl said shyly, holding onto her mother's hand tightly. "I got a little wings," she said, pointing to her shirt.

"How sweet," Diana said before turning to her parents who were waiting behind her. "Sorry, this is my mom and dad, Judy and Daniel, and this is everyone," she said with a slight laugh.

"It's nice to meet you," Diana's father said, shaking Martha's hand. "We've heard a lot about you from our daughter. And we're glad you stopped by."

"So are we, your house is amazing," Castle said as he shook hands with the two.

"Your friends are all here," Judy said to Alexis. "Waiting upstairs in Diana's room for you."

"Want to see where I've been staying?" Alexis asked Julia.

"Yeah," the little girl said, nodding eagerly as she hurried over to the young woman.

"Feel free to join them," Daniel said. "You'll want to see the view from her room."

"Mommy?" Julia asked, stopping before they could leave the entry.

"I'm coming sweetie," Beckett said, surprised it had taken a little for Julia's shyness to come back. She took her daughter's hand and followed Alexis and Diana up the staircase, glancing back at Castle to see he was looking around the family room the stairs were in.

"Hi guys, we're here," Alexis said, entering the bedroom on the third floor of the house. "Though I'm sure Diana told you."

"She did, is that Julia?" one of the three young women sitting in chairs in the room said.

"This is her," Alexis said. "These are my friends Julia. Patty, Lola and Dawn. And this is her mother, Kate Beckett and… Dad," she called out when she looked back out the doorway to see him looking at the windows at the top of the walls on that floor. "This is my dad."

"Sorry, it's nice to meet you," Castle said quickly as he came inside. He wasn't surprised to see Julia was standing with Alexis in front of the other girls, and he glanced at Beckett.

"Go out on the balcony," Diana urged them. "It turned out to be a pretty nice day today."

Walking over to the French doors, Beckett stepped outside and said, "This brings back a lot of memories," as she and Castle stepped outside, the view of San Francisco Bay and the city itself.

"You said you came here to Sausalito," he said as he closed the door behind them to the five inside talking with Julia.

"On the ferry," Beckett said, pointing out a boat that was heading out into the water. "There are a lot of little shops, cafés and the view was pretty much the same ground level, but it's a lot higher up."

"It is amazing," Castle said, standing with her. "And I'm seeing that the streets are steep."

"You knew that already," Beckett said with a smile. "Or is that confirmation?"

"Confirmation, I really hope Alexis is okay to drive," Castle said.

"I'm pretty sure she is now," Beckett said, turning to him. "So does everything meet with your approval?"

"It does, and I'm really glad she found a friend who lives out here," Castle said when he heard the door opening behind them. "Tired of talking with Alexis' friends?" he asked Julia as she came out.

"I wanna see," she said, tugging at his hand. She gasped slightly when Castle picked her up, and looked out at the city across the bay. "Wow," she said in amazement. "When do we go?"

"Dad? Diana's parents have lunch for us if you don't mind eating here," Alexis said, joining them on the balcony.

"That would be fun," Beckett said when Castle looked at her. "We don't need to check in right away."

"No we don't, and is it possible to eat out here?" Castle said as he set Julia back down.

"They have a deck downstairs, you can see the city from there too," Alexis said, leading the way back inside. "You're lucky though, the weather until yesterday has been horrible, cold, rainy and foggy. Didn't you say it was sunny back home?"

"For a few days," Castle said, putting his arm around his daughter's shoulders as everyone was leaving the room.

"Then you brought the good weather with you," Alexis said. "Which is great because there's a lot to do outside especially Chinatown."

"When do we go there?" Julia asked with a little gasp, letting go of her mother's hand to run up to the two.

"Later tonight," Alexis said. "I'll take you all to see the gates, and we'll have dinner there and shop after."

"Can I take pictures?" Julia asked. When her mother, Castle and Alexis all said yes she then asked, "Can I get a doll?"

Laughing a little under her breath as they started down to the first floor at that point, Beckett picked up her daughter and said, "We'll see when we get there. For now, let's get our lunch and sit outside so we can look at the city some more."

"Kay, and then we go to the city right?" Julia asked. When her mother nodded she squirmed a little and said, "I wanna go."

"And we will," Castle said as they walked into the kitchen and joined everyone else as they gathered around the island and the room soon filled with questions to them about their plans for their stay in San Francisco.

* * *

Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge again later that afternoon, Alexis took the car back into the city, and to Union Square, telling the others in the car about different places she'd been to the past three months of her stay as they passed them. She was able to reach the valet parking for their hotel, and sighed in obvious relief saying, "It's going to be so nice not to have to look for parking here. It's a nightmare in the city."

"It looks like it," Castle said, getting out and opening the back of the car to let the bellman waiting unload the luggage. When the man had finished he walked over to where Beckett and Julia were looking across the street. "Okay, so this is Union Square," he said as they looked at the large square.

"Just like in _Vertigo_ ," Beckett said with a smile.

"Are we ready?" Martha asked as Julia, who was walking over to her then, was looking around interestedly.

"We are," Castle said as a bellman pushed the cart to the doors. He led the way inside and looked around the lobby as he went to the front desk. "I feel weird," he commented to Beckett as they waited for another guest to finish in front of them.

"Why?" she asked.

"Nobody knows me here," Castle said.

"If you still love the city at the end of the trip then they might," Beckett said with a slightly amused smirk on her face.

"You make a good point," Castle said, before he stepped up to the counter. He checked them into their two suites, and they followed the bellman with their things up to the very top floor.

"Your suite," the bellman said, opening the door for them and walking inside.

"I think this is for you," Castle said as they entered and he saw a bedroom at the other end and a second one that was closer to the entry with a sliding door.

"And it's stunning," Martha said, looking around the room and then the view.

"Look at the statue," Julia said excitedly, looking out at the top of the monument in the middle of Union Square.

"We'll be right back sweetie," Beckett said, as she had a feeling her daughter wouldn't want to move from where she was sitting on her knees on the couch at the window. When Julia turned to her she said quickly, "We're just going to get our things set in our room and unpack. If you want to come over just tell Martha or Alexis."

Castle let Beckett leave the room first before he followed, and they went down two doors before the bellman stopped. He stepped inside after her, and saw she was looking around. He soon did the same, seeing the suite was slightly smaller, but no less impressive, especially with its view. After the bellman had set down their suitcases, he tipped him and turned to his fiancée once they were alone. "So, good choice?" he asked as she went into the bedroom.

"A really good choice," Beckett said, looking around the room. "I'm surprised, with it being as old as it is, I wasn't sure what it would look like."

"Then you didn't look at the web site before we came out here, great," Castle said, going to the closet. "So I was able to surprise you… or the hotel was," he quickly amended as she looked over at him.

"Unpack Castle, I'd like to spend a little time outside," Beckett said. "Especially out in the Square, Julia can run around after being cooped up on the plane for five hours."

"Great, I might join her," Castle said as he got his suitcase open and pulled out a coat.

"You will, because you're watching her while we're there," Beckett said simply. She smiled at Castle's expression, and then walked past him as he let his hand slide over her hip in passing.

* * *

"You think we should be worried Julia didn't come over to see our room?" Castle was asking a half hour later, lying out on the bed and looking at his phone since he'd finished unpacking.

"Not really, I'm sure your mom and Alexis are keeping her busy," Beckett said. "Or the view. That is an amazing closet; I really wish we were here for more than nine days."

"We can always come back," Castle said, sitting up. "So you're done?"

"Finished," Beckett said, setting the coat in her hands on the dresser across from the bed. She walked over to what she guessed was her side and sat down before she felt Castle moving over to sit next to her. "Wait," she said a little warningly, putting her hand on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and leaned towards her. "We need to spend some time with our family this trip."

"Great, but I wasn't going to take that much time, I would like to go out and explore with Alexis leading the way," Castle said. Before Beckett could say anything to that, he closed the space between them and kissed her, starting out carefully at first.

Allowing him to deepen that kiss without any real way of showing him it was alright; Beckett reached up and cupped his cheek as he carefully slid his tongue over her lower lip. She was just about to part them when his phone suddenly rang, making them both jump apart.

"Too easy to forget where you are. What's wrong Alexis?" Castle asked as he answered his phone, putting it on speaker.

"Nothing, but Gram and I are almost done packing, we're not sure what to do about Julia's clothes though," Alexis said on the other end.

"We're coming right now," Castle said, watching as Beckett stood and grabbed her coat. "Hey, does it get cold at night?"

"Very, there's still fog, so I would bring something heavy if we're staying late in Chinatown," Alexis said.

Saying goodbye to his daughter, Castle went to the closet and grabbed the heaviest coat he had before he followed Beckett out of the suite and down the hall. "What time does Julia have to go to bed this trip?" he asked her.

"I think I'll inch it up to in between nine and nine-thirty," Beckett said. She had to smile for a moment at Castle's surprised expression and explained, "You see how excited she is, I'll be lucky if I can get her at least sleepy by nine-thirty."

"I'll be glad to help," Castle said.

"By doing what? Pillow fight?" Beckett asked.

"If you're involved, sure," Castle said. He smiled when she rolled her eyes, and he went to unlock the suite door with the key he'd taken from the bellman earlier. "Hey, are you guys ready yet to go out?" he said once he followed Beckett inside. "Looks like Julia is," he said when he saw the little girl on her knees on the couch at the window.

"She's been like that the whole time you were in your room," Alexis said, coming out of the room she and Julia were going to share. "I hung up her dresses, but didn't know where you'd want everything else," she said to Beckett since she was holding a t-shirt and a hanger.

"I think I can take over here," Beckett said, taking both items. "Thanks for starting though."

"So what do you think?" Castle asked, sitting next to Julia.

"It's pretty, it looks like home a little bit," the little girl said, turning to look at him. "Can you see this from your room?"

"We can, but we're over to the side just a little more," Castle told her as Alexis joined them.

"This is such an amazing hotel, I actually learned about it in my history class," Alexis told them. "The St. Francis was just the two towers of this building, then after the 1906 earthquake they added on to it and the tower behind us is more recent. But yeah, this survived the earthquake."

"I learned that too," Beckett called from the bedroom.

"You took a history class on California?" Castle asked.

"It was one of the classes that were part of the history requirement at Stanford," Beckett said, walking to the doorway as she was hanging a shirt. "And since I'd had enough world and US history through middle and high school, I decided to be a little more selective in my choice."

"The class at Stanford is pretty much the same as mine," Alexis said. "My professor for that one is an alumni and he based it on his class there. I should have told you, but it slipped my mind."

"You've had a lot of stuff going on lately," Beckett said with a smile before she went back into the room. She listened to Castle talking to Julia and Alexis until she had finished, and when she walked out into the main room she saw that Martha was sitting at the table behind the couch. "So it's three," she said, looking at her watch. "We need to figure out what we're going to do now."

"So is Chinatown walk-able?" Castle directed to Alexis as he went to look at the book his mother was looking at.

"It is," Alexis replied quickly. "It's about two, three minutes tops I think, no big hills, but you might need to carry Julia. Oh, and I know where we're going to eat dinner."

"Okay, so I'd like to take Julia to the Square, run around for a little, there's a café and we can get something to drink while we let her do that," Beckett explained, knowing that Alexis was listening to her as well. "And then we can head to Chinatown."

"And after we eat we shop," Castle said.

"Yes, that's partially why I want to have her bed time later," Beckett said. "That way we can do more."

"You don't think she'll have jet lag?" Martha asked, looking at the map in the back of the book.

"I don't think so," Beckett said with a smile. "You know how much energy she has. Will you be alright walking to Chinatown? It's tough in heels."

"Oh, I've already changed," Martha said. "How is the food here?"

"Well, I don't think we're going to be going somewhere that's five star," Beckett said. "But, the food here is some of the best Chinese I've had. I wish Alexis could have found that restaurant I told you about," she said to Castle, putting her hand on his arm. "They have amazing potstickers and their sesame seed balls are incredible. But wherever we go it shouldn't be too bad."

"Then we should go now," Martha said. "The flight has made me want to stretch my legs, so I will join you at the Square. That and I would love to walk around and explore a little."

"That's what Castle said," Beckett said. "And I'd like to explore as well."

"You said you came here," Martha then said.

"Just to walk to Chinatown," Beckett said with a smile. "And to get a meal or a drink at the café I told you about. Though I do remember one time I went through with a friend, they were having a Tango exhibition in the middle of the square."

"And did you and your friend join in?" Castle asked. When Beckett only looked at him he then said, "And if there's one going on right now would you care to join in with me?"

"Another time, maybe if either one of us had any kind of experience," Beckett said with a slight smile. "Oh, there is one store on the way to Chinatown we need to stop at, if it's open and still there. We need to take Julia."

While the others were talking behind them, Julia leaned closer to the window and looking down at the street said, "Are those the cable cars?"

"Yeah, I can't wait until we go on them, you'll love them, they're so much fun, especially when you go on a really tall hill," Alexis said. She smiled as Julia jumped a little in excitement, and she looked up from the street. As soon as she had, she saw a body, dressed in red and white, falling in front of the window and shrieked as she realized the red was not clothing, but blood and she jumped back from the couch.

"Alexis?" Castle asked as he, Beckett and his mother looked over.

"What happened?" Julia asked as Alexis pulled her off the couch.

"Keep her back there," Beckett said, realizing something was wrong as the young woman looked horrified. She ran over to the window with Castle and looking out, they immediately saw what had scared his daughter.

Down on the sidewalk on the west side of Union Square was the body of a person, blood streaming over the curb and onto Powell Street. Pulling back, Castle and Beckett shared a glance and turned to look at Alexis, who was holding Julia to her tightly as the little girl kept asking what was wrong.


	3. Made Sure That She Was Dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Maxwell's Silver Hammer by The Beatles, from their album Abbey Road.

Walking out onto Powell Street, Beckett looked across before she saw who she guessed might be the lead detective. "Is this going to happen on our vacations?" she said to Castle as Alexis followed them.

"We had some luck having a murder free stay in the Hamptons. And Christmas too," Castle replied. "But yeah, this is not good."

"No kidding," Beckett said before they were stopped by a police officer. "We're looking for the lead detective."

"My daughter saw the victim falling from the top of the hotel," Castle said. "She wants to give a statement."

"Let them through Marquez," a man dressed in a suit said, coming over to them. "You saw the body?"

"Yeah, I did," Alexis said.

"Okay my name is Detective Markowitz and I'm sorry you had to see that but thank you for coming to tell me what you witnessed. I just need your name and are you staying there in the hotel?" the man asked.

As Alexis started to speak with the detective, Castle and Beckett walked down the sidewalk a little, more towards the body which was covered with a sheet, becoming stained with blood around the head. "I'm not sure," he said in a low voice as he looked back at his daughter. "If I should be angry this happened now or worried about Alexis."

"More worried about Alexis," Beckett said. "Though really, I don't think you need to be so much. She's used to seeing bodies, and I think it was more of a shock than anything else." She turned to him and said, "I'm just glad Julia didn't see it."

"I know, thank god for the cable cars," Castle said. "But hopefully after this we can get back to-"

"Kate?" a voice suddenly said behind Beckett.

Turning around and feeling a very strange sense of déjà vu hearing the voice, Beckett saw a woman her age walking from the body to her. "Erin?" she said in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm with the SFPD, Homicide," the woman said, smiling slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on vacation," Beckett said. "He's your partner?"

"Yeah, we're on this case, how come you're here if you're on vacation?" the woman said.

"His daughter saw the body falling from the roof," Beckett said. "Oh, Erin, this is Richard Castle, and Castle, this is Erin Neville. She and I were in the same math class at Stanford."

"She had to tutor me a little towards the end," Erin said. "Math was never my strongest subject. It's nice to meet you, but I am sorry it's under these circumstances. It's very bizarre we're meeting like this," she then said to Beckett. "Especially since I know you're with Homicide in New York." When Beckett looked at her questioningly she said, " _Cosmo_."

"Oh," Beckett said with a nod. "So this isn't a suicide?" she asked.

"No, homicide, but really brazen, especially here on Powell, one of our busiest streets, a lot of tourists," Neville said. "So where exactly is the room where your daughter saw the body falling from?"

"About six windows from the one on this end," Castle said, pointing it out.

"Below the California flag," Neville mused.

"She was thrown," Castle then said. "Since she landed all the way here on the sidewalk. But I'm thinking the gunshot wounds are post mortem."

"He's right," Beckett said, seeing her friend's surprised expression. "The problem is how the killer got her body up to the roof without anyone seeing."

"That's why we're checking out the hotel right now," Markowitz said, walking over to them with Alexis. "You're detectives?" he asked Beckett and Castle.

"She is, I'm a writer," Castle said.

"She's my old college friend Mark," Neville said. "The one from _Cosmo_."

"Oh, you're Beckett, and you're Richard Castle, okay, that would explain how you would figure out that cut to her throat was how she was killed," Markowitz said. "Well, I have Miss Castle's statement, you two didn't witness anything?"

"No, but I would look into significant others with your vic," Beckett said.

"Yeah, with her throat cut, being shot in the heart and then thrown off the roof of a hotel in a crowded area, this was a crime of passion," Castle said. "They wanted to make sure she was dead and whatever she has in her past, they want the public to know."

"We're not telling you how to run your investigation," Beckett said quickly. "It's just force of habit, even when we're on vacation."

"That's an interesting idea though," Neville said. "And something we'll have to look into once we're done canvassing the scene. Thank you."

Nodding slightly Castle then said quickly, "Is my daughter set?"

"I have her statement as I said, but should you remember anything else, please contact me," Markowitz said.

"I will," Alexis promised.

"We'll meet my mom and Julia in the hotel," Castle said abruptly to Beckett before they left.

"Here," Beckett said then, wondering what was going on with him. "My card, I don't know if I'm going to have time for it, but we should talk at least. Catch up."

"That would be nice," Neville said. "And congratulations."

"For what?" Beckett asked. When her friend nodded to her left hand she looked down at her ring and curled her hand into a fist before she nodded. "Good luck with your case."

"Ms. Beckett," Markowitz said before she could leave. "How long has he been working with you?"

"About six years, why?" Beckett replied.

"So he has experience," Markowitz stated. When she nodded he said, "Sorry, just wondering. Enjoy your time here in the city."

Nodding, Beckett turned and walked across the street, ducking under the tape to get back to the hotel entrance though she had to pass through the crowd of tourists gathered on the other side of Powell. She had to ask for directions to the children's room but was on her way and managed to catch up to Castle and Alexis. "So I guess the vacation isn't ruined after all," she called ahead to get them to stop.

"No, but still, I'm wondering what is going on in that woman's life that that happened to her," Castle said, turning around and waiting for her.

"I'm just glad you don't know her name," Beckett said simply. "Are you okay Alexis?" she then asked his daughter.

"Yeah, it was just really unexpected," the young woman replied. "And I was scared Julia had seen it."

"Mommy!" they heard the little girl's cry from down the hall. Turning to watch they saw that Julia was running from Martha and Castle quickly jogged ahead to catch her.

"I wanted to see where you went Mommy," Julia said as he carried her to her mother. She held out her hands and wriggled her fingers until Beckett took her. "Where did you go?"

"We just needed to take care of something," Beckett replied simply. "So I think since it's a little bit later, why don't we just head out to Chinatown?"

"How?" Castle asked.

"Go north on Powell," Beckett said.

"And then east down Post and cross the street there," Alexis finished. She smiled when Beckett looked at her and said, "Believe me, I've been going to Chinatown and the stores on the way to it a lot."

"How was the children's room?" Beckett asked Martha as they walked back to the lobby.

"Very nice, she ran around and played with a few other kids," Martha replied. "So I think she's gotten some of that excess energy out."

"I bet you once we get to Chinatown though, it'll come back," Beckett said.

"Where are the cable cars?" Julia asked, looking south on the street when they walked outside.

"Want to walk with me for a little Jules?" Alexis asked quickly since the police were still there; a corner's van next to the curb.

"Yeah," Julia said, taking her hand once her mother had set her down.

"There are some very nice shops here," Martha said, looking away from the crime scene. "I can understand why you would know this area so well. Any good boutiques?"

"A few, but the best are in the mall down at Market," Alexis said.

"Too bad she didn't get the chance to run around," Castle was saying to Beckett as they were walking together along the northern side of the square. "Seems nice."

"It is, looks like they had an art sale," Beckett commented as she was watching the vendors putting away paintings. "I'm having a hard time remembering there was a murder looking this way," she said to him in a low voice as they were walking forward.

"And you said I wasn't going to let it go?" Castle said.

"I never said that," Beckett said, rolling her eyes. "But you're right; you probably wouldn't have if you hadn't run off with Alexis."

Shrugging, as he didn't really want to talk about the reason for that, Castle saw they'd come to the corner of Post and another street asking, "You're sure it's not far?"

"To the gateway? No," Beckett said, knowing he wasn't asking his daughter. "Just up Stockton, over on Sutter and then up Grant and you reach the gates. But Grant is a very long street and a lot of shops which means a lot of walking."

"And will she be okay?" Castle asked, nodding ahead to Julia as they crossed twice to get to Sutter.

"Oh, here's the store you guys," Beckett said, not answering him. "Just in time," she said, checking her watch and seeing the store hours. "I won't take too long," she said, taking her daughter's hand and stepping inside.

"A Scottish store?" Martha commented to her son as they followed Alexis.

"I never came in here," the young woman said. "But I see the candy in the window and it reminds me of Julia."

"So it would. Kate," Castle said then.

"She can pick out one after we look at the skirts," Beckett said quickly, heading towards the back of the store.

Remaining at the front of the store after picking out some British candy bars, Castle watched as Beckett helped her daughter pick out a skirt before disappearing in the back. "Nice scarf," he told his mother when she walked up to him.

"Apparently this is the Stewart plaid," Martha said, looking at a mirror on the other side of the door.

"Really nice one Gram," Alexis said, watching her.

"Okay, pick out a candy and we'll go," Beckett said as she let go of Julia's hand to let her run to Alexis some time later.

"So this is the reason why you wanted to come here?" Castle asked as they watched the little girl looking at the candy with Alexis.

"Pretty much, I got a skirt here once," Beckett said, looking down at the dark green and dark blue plaid skirt over her arm. "I didn't expect her to pick out the same one."

"You… how short was the skirt on you?" Castle asked, his eyes wide. When she gave him a look he said defensively, "What, you said it was the same one."

"The same plaid," Beckett said, shaking her head. "My skirt was longer. Alright, I think we're ready."

Watching her mother and Martha making their purchases, Julia hurried over to Castle and took his hand. "Do we go now?" she asked him.

"To Chinatown? As soon as they're done," Castle told her. "Can you keep walking, or do you want me to carry you?"

"I can walk," Julia said. "Thank you for my candy."

"You're welcome, if we don't have dessert maybe we'll watch something back at the hotel with you guys and have it then," Castle told her.

"Kay," Julia said. Beckett was walking to them then, and she held her free hand out saying, "Walk with us Mommy!"

"Not too much further," Beckett said as she could tell by her daughter's tone of voice that she was getting hyper again. When Castle's mother was finished, they left and she, Castle and Julia led the way.

"You really remember the way?" Castle asked her as they neared the corner of Sutter and Grant.

"I do," Beckett said with a momentary smile. "That store helped jog my memory. And like Alexis, I tried to come here whenever I was in the city."

"For that restaurant?" Castle asked. When his fiancée nodded slightly he said, "Maybe we can try and find it?"

"I don't remember how far down Grant it is… or up I should say," Beckett said, smiling when she heard Julia's gasp.

"Is that it, is that it?" the little girl said eagerly, seeing the gates up ahead.

"It is, and they're not going anywhere," Castle said quickly as Julia tried to pull on their hands to go faster. He laughed when she didn't stop, and turned back to look at his mother and daughter.

"If you're going to ask them if it's okay we run ahead you'll be going on your own," Beckett said quickly.

"No, I was just going to walk a little faster," Castle said simply.

"Sure, we're almost there," Beckett said. And after that they shortly reached Bush Street, the next cross street at Grant.

"Can I take a picture?" Julia asked as they were crossing.

"Go ahead," Beckett said, taking her camera out of her purse. "And then I'll take a picture of you in front of the Foo dog."

"What's that?" Julia asked in confusion.

"This," Castle said, touching the top of the left guardian statue.

Nodding, Julia hurriedly took some pictures, and then gave her camera to Castle before she grabbed her mother's hand. She took a picture with her, Martha and Alexis and last by herself.

"Do you mind if we head to the restaurant first, shop afterwards? I just want you guys to try this place, it's pretty good," Alexis said, glancing at her father.

"That's fine," Beckett said, seeing everyone was looking at her. "What?"

"You really don't want to try and find that restaurant?" Castle asked as they started walking up the sidewalk which was a slight hill.

"That's okay, and maybe we can ask where we're eating tonight where it is," Beckett said. "So I can at the very least see it again."

"You're feeling nostalgic?" Castle said.

"Pretty much," Beckett said with a smile, wrapping her arm through his and holding onto his upper arm as they followed Julia who was walking with Martha and Alexis. "I remember the first time we came here, how much this would have reminded me of the Chinatown at home, except for the hills."

"Yeah, good cardio," Castle said, watching Julia. "We were worried about her?"

"Misplaced," Beckett said simply before they reached California Street. "Wait," she called up ahead to the three.

"Oh yeah, look, here comes a trolley," Alexis said, walking around the corner to stop on California itself.

"It's not falling," Julia said in obvious awe. "It looks like the pictures you sent me."

"I took one of them here," Alexis told her. "And the others… Beckett," she said suddenly, turning. "I almost forgot, on Powell, a little further south of the hotel-"

"They have cable cars parked," Beckett quickly said. "I remember now that you said. My dad has a picture of me in his office at his place on one of them. We can go whenever we head down to the mall."

"We need to go by them to get to the BART tomorrow," Alexis said.

"Then we can see them tomorrow," Beckett said, nodding as she'd forgotten that.

"I get to go on one?" Julia asked as they went to the other side of California once the cable car had passed by.

"It's parked, but yeah, you can stand on it or sit on it and your mom can take pictures of you there," Alexis said.

"Alright if I take one of her with my phone, actually, I want one of you two," Castle said to Julia and his daughter.

"You don't need to ask," Beckett said with a smile. "What do you think of the city so far Martha?" she asked, realizing they had kind of left out his mother.

"It's very nice, different from home, but the same in a way I can't explain," Martha said.

"That's definitely different," Alexis said nodding to the other side of California where there was a church across the street from a Chinese building.

"I remember you sending me a picture of this," Castle said, smiling at her. "East meets west, I loved that. So did Julia once I explained it to her."

"That was Diana who told me that, but she's right," Alexis said.

"It was a great picture though, you're not too bad of a photographer," Beckett said.

"Can I take one?" Julia asked quickly.

Watching as Alexis helped her daughter; Beckett looked ahead of them and saw a few signs for restaurants. "I'm not seeing it," she said quickly as she could feel Castle's gaze on her. She looked at him and said, "We'll just ask later."

"When do we eat?" Julia asked. "And when can we go in the stores?" she said as they crossed the street.

"We're almost there," Alexis said. "Just one more block."

"Are you okay Julia?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, but I'm thirsty too," Julia said, sounding distracted as they were passing a bank with gold medallions on the wall with dragons on them.

"Take a picture," Martha urged her. She turned to Beckett and said, "If dancing doesn't work out for her, photography might."

"It could," Beckett said as they watched her daughter moving around a little bit until she took her picture. Crossing Sacramento Street she looked around saying slowly, "This seems really familiar…"

"Any reason?" Castle asked, glancing at Alexis who was looking at him.

"I'm not sure, I think I may have bought my mom a bracelet at a store here, but I…" Beckett said. She then stopped and shook her head saying, "No, I thought it was here but it must have been back by the gateway."

"You bought your mom a bracelet?" Castle asked.

"Cinnabar," Beckett said. "They have them back at home, but the carving on the ones here I thought she would like." She watched as Julia let go of Alexis' hand and ran back to them asking, "What is it?"

"Can I have one?" Julia asked.

"We'll see if they have any small enough for your wrist," Beckett said.

"We're here," Alexis said then.

Looking up, Beckett saw the name of the restaurant, the Four Seas, and she opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. She followed the others inside the front door, and stopped abruptly at the bottom of the flight of stairs that was the only thing inside the lobby. "You found it," she said to Alexis with a smile.

"Yeah, I told Diana about it, and she brought me here," the young woman said.

"Is this where you wanted to go Mommy?" Julia asked as Martha and Alexis headed upstairs.

"It is," Beckett said before she turned to look at Castle. "You knew."

"I did, but I wanted to surprise you, well, Alexis and I did," he said. "So, why don't we head up for dinner? Can you go up on your own?" he then directed to Julia.

"Yeah," the little girl said firmly before she took her mother's hand and then grabbed the banister.

"The bar's in there," Beckett said when they came to the top of the steps and waited to be seated. "And there is the dining room. I don't remember this tank being here though," she said as Julia was looking at the fish inside. "Sweetie, come on," she called as the hostess took them into the dining room to the left.

Hurrying after them, Julia took her mother's hand and nearly ran into Castle when he stopped in front of them. She heard him speaking in a different language suddenly, and looked up at her mother before they walked again. "What did he say Mommy?" she asked as they came to a round table at the windows furthest from the entrance to the room.

"I asked for this table and a seat for you," Castle answered for her. "Ready?" he asked the little girl after they'd taken off their coats and jackets and the booster seat was in place on the chair closest to the window on that side of the table. When Julia nodded he picked her up to her short squeal and set her down.

"I'm assuming you're ordering?" Beckett asked with a smile as he held out her seat for her next.

"Basically," Castle said. "But I can see why you'd like this place," he said, nodding to a waitress who was setting out two teapots for them. "Can she drink that?" he asked, nodding to one.

"No, ask if they have juice," Beckett said quickly.

Speaking to the woman, who nodded and then left, Castle reached around Beckett to lightly tickle Julia's neck. "I hope you like apple juice," he told her as she giggled and tried to push his hand away.

"Yeah," Julia said. "Why can't I have that?" she asked as Beckett poured tea for herself and Castle.

"I don't think you'll like how it tastes," Beckett explained simply. "Why don't you take some pictures?" she suggested as she could tell her daughter was going to protest what she'd said.

"Kay," Julia said before she looked up as Alexis walked to her. "Will you take pictures with me?"

Watching as the two went to the windows, Castle looked up as their waitress returned, and a woman with a cart followed. He shook himself from his musings and quickly spoke to the woman with the cart before she set down some containers of food. "We're lucky we did this already back home," he said before he called to Alexis and Julia.

"And that you can still speak Mandarin," Beckett said simply. "But thank you for these," she said as she took out one of the sesame seed balls he'd picked out.

"We didn't have these before," Castle said simply, taking one of his own with his chopsticks.

"I don't remember seeing them where we were back home," Beckett said. "So you're sure you haven't gone to Alcatraz yet?" she asked Alexis since she was sitting down by then.

"No, but it was so tempting because the ferry from Sausalito goes right by it. Both when you take the one to Pier 41 and the other to the Ferry Building. I've seen it on both sides and it looks…" Alexis started to say, but she quickly trailed off as she saw Julia was watching her though she was eating. "Interesting," she finished with.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to take her? To a prison?" Martha asked.

"She wants to go," Beckett said with a shrug.

"And I told her about the birds and plants that the island is known for too," Castle said before he was distracted by their waitress. He quickly ordered a few things off the dim sum menu they had chosen, and then said, "She's excited to go."

"When do we go?" Julia asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Beckett explained. "Remember I told you what we're doing our first full day. First we head to Berkley to look around Alexis' school and then we go out to Alcatraz."

"Kay," Julia said, squirming in her chair. "How long is that?"

"Tomorrow," Castle said with a slight laugh. "It'll come pretty quickly now we're actually here."

"The trip will probably go by quickly," Alexis said.

"You're not too homesick?" Castle asked his daughter.

"I'm fine Dad, and I'm staying until June," Alexis replied. "I am homesick, but I'm having a lot of fun here."

"I would too," Beckett said, reaching over to a container of potstickers on the pretext of putting her hand on Castle's arm.

Looking down, Castle reached for her hand and squeezed it once before he turned his attention to Julia, who was asking Alexis about the sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf. He held onto Beckett's hand until she leaned over and whispered to him.

"I need that back," she said, smiling when he quickly let her go. She turned to Julia, who was telling Alexis about the stuffed sea lion the young woman had given her for her birthday and had a strange sense of déjà vu that wasn't exactly right. She knew she was recalling the times she'd eaten there, but as her daughter asked her for another _bao_ , she shook off the memory, not minding the present overriding the past as Castle set the last _shu mai_ on her plate as he asked her and Alexis how the ferries were.

* * *

"Alexis was not kidding about the cold," Castle said as they were walking behind the others back down Grant.

"I told you too, it's the wind and fog," Beckett said, glancing up at the haze around one of the lanterns that had two dragons under it. "But the walk back will be enough. Julia," she said absently as she looked at her daughter and could tell from behind that the little girl was trying to take off her scarf.

"It itches Mommy," Julia protested as Martha stopped her and fixed the plaid fabric.

"It will keep you warm," Martha told her. "Alright, I believe you and I should look here together," she told Julia as she looked at the store they were in front of.

"That's right, I promised myself I'd help Julia find that doll she wants," Alexis said before she followed the two inside.

"Castle," Beckett said, turning to him as he was looking at some items on display outside the store.

"Yeah?" he replied a little absentmindedly.

"I'm thinking back to earlier when we were talking to Erin," Beckett said. "And how you seemed to be in a rush to get out of there. I've never seen you like that at a crime scene before."

"It's just because we're on vacation…" Castle started to answer. He trailed off looking at her and then said, "You're not buying it are you?"

"No, what is it about her?" Beckett said, realizing then why he'd been acting that way.

"How well do you know her?" Castle asked.

"She was part of the group I hung out with," Beckett said. "We had the same English Lit class as well as Math, and we all thought the English Lit professor was hot." She smiled a little when he frowned at that and said, "He was also married. But we became friends, and she was one of the people in the group."

"And you tutored her in math?" Castle said as they looked inside the store, watching the others looking at the dolls on display.

"I did, but it was only one section of the class," Beckett said. "Very short so it was only for a few weeks. I'm surprised she even remembers that."

Castle merely nodded in response, and then said, seeing Julia hurrying out to them, "Did you find one?"

"Yeah, lemme show you," the little girl said quickly, taking her mother's hand. "And you too Castle," she said to him.

Though she knew their conversation wasn't finished, Beckett followed her daughter inside and gave her an opinion on the doll before Castle took it out of her hand and then handed it to Alexis. "I-" she started to say.

"I'd like to buy it for her if it's okay," Alexis said with a smile. When Beckett nodded silently, still looking a little startled, she took Julia's hand and led her to the register.

"I think it's to make up a little for the fact she wasn't there for her birthday," Castle said as he turned to the robes near them on display. "How would I look in this one?"

"It's not your type," Beckett said simply. "Too bad you couldn't take a _katana_ home."

"Oh, that would be awesome, Alexis told me once about a store here that had some nice ones," Castle said. He then looked thoughtful for a moment saying, "I could ship it to myself."

"You could," Beckett said with a slight nod of her head. "And you most likely will if that look on your face is anything to go by." She smiled when he looked at her and she kissed his cheek in passing saying, "I know you pretty well."

"Pretty well," Castle said absently, turning to follow her back outside. "Mother, Alexis, mind catching up with us?" he suddenly said, getting an idea and realizing it was very likely what Beckett had wanted him to think as she'd spoken.

"Go, we'll watch Julia," his mother said, waving her hand as she looked down at Julia who was trying to show her something.

Walking outside, Castle saw Beckett heading down to the next store, and he followed her inside, seeing it was a much larger one. He was going to talk but noticed his fiancée going straight to the side where there was some jewelry on display. He went to her and saw she was holding a red bracelet. "Is this the store?" he asked, seeing the look on her face.

"It is," Beckett said. "My mother never really wore that bracelet, but she did keep it, she loved the carving on it. It reminded her of the comb my dad brought her."

"It does look like that," Castle agreed. "Where's the bracelet now?"

"I don't know," Beckett said honestly. "But it's alright actually, I'm just remembering going through these and picking one out. My friend took off up Grant because I took way too long."

"Too bad you can't get one for Julia," Castle said, holding up a bracelet in blue.

"Actually, I can," Beckett said in realization and started looking through the blue cinnabar bracelets. "She will grow into it."

"That one looks nice," Castle said, leaning over a little.

"Okay, I'm glad they took her because there is one thing I'd like to surprise her with," Beckett said as she held onto the bracelet he'd seen. She took his hand and they walked to the back of the store, looking around before she stopped at some messenger bags made from Chinese brocades.

"What's this for?" Castle asked as he took the bracelet so she could look through them.

"For her ballet class and when she has sleepovers," Beckett said simply. "I'm thinking the dark blue," she mused, holding up the bag. She was surprised when Castle shook his head, pointing to a lighter blue with flowers on it and she said, "Took you a while to start doing that."

"I feel more comfortable now, but you do know in the end the choice is yours right," Castle said.

"Are you talking about the bag or raising her?" Beckett asked as she took down the light blue bag.

"Well, not exactly raising her, just for now," Castle said.

Nodding slightly as she walked to the register with him, Beckett was quiet until she had paid for the bag and bracelet, and as they stood outside she said, "I hope they're not buying her everything she picks up," a little teasingly.

"I doubt it, but she's doing pretty well so far, the doll, that bag," Castle said. "Do you want anything? A dress?"

"I'll pass, but thank you for the offer," Beckett said before they heard his mother and daughter calling Julia's name.

"Hey," Castle said with a groan as Julia ran straight into him. "I don't know if you should run like that down these hills," he told her as he made her straighten up.

"Sorry, but I wanted to show you what Martha got me," Julia said, holding up the figurine of an ox. "She said it's my sign."

"In the Chinese zodiac," Castle said. "She's right."

"And she got Alexis a dog," Julia said as Martha and Alexis joined them.

"What did you end up buying?" Alexis asked, seeing the bag Beckett was holding.

"These," Beckett said, holding out the bracelet first.

"For me?" Julia asked, her eyes wide.

"This too," Becket replied, letting her take the bag.

"Oooh, thank you Mommy, they're pretty," Julia gasped, slipping on the bracelet though it slid down to her elbow.

"You'll get bigger and be able to wear that around your wrist one day," Alexis said. "Are those in here?"

"They are," Beckett said, smiling as the young woman quickly turned and went inside, Martha following.

"Julia," Castle said, going to the items that were along the sides of the entrance. "How do you like these?" he asked, holding up a pair of pink brocade slippers.

"For my mommy?" Julia asked a little shyly.

"For you," Castle said firmly. "Come on, pick one you like and I'll get it for you."

Beckett looked on as Julia chose her slippers and then went inside with Castle while she waited outside. She glanced down at the gateway arch they were close to, and had that same sense of déjà vu as at the restaurant, having looked at the same view the last time she'd been in the city. Shaking her head as she heard her daughter's giggle, she looked over as Julia hurried to her and grabbed her hand.

"Can I wear my shoes now?" Julia asked with a smile as Castle stepped out after her.

"Back at the hotel," Beckett said.

"Speaking of which, this is the last store," Castle said. "We didn't really shop too much."

"We can come back," Beckett replied a little absently, looking at her watch.

"Didn't realize it was getting that late," Castle said, looking at his own and seeing the time. "Okay, we're going to head back to the hotel," he said to his mother and Alexis.

"We'll come," Martha said. "For our first day I think we did very well. Julia and Alexis did."

"What did you get?" Castle asked as they walked down the street together.

"I couldn't resist," Alexis said with a smile as she pulled out a messenger bag in black brocade. "This'll be great to use… wherever," she said as she watched Julia trace the pattern with her little fingers.

"So I take it a good time was had by all," Castle said as he was watching Julia who soon took his hand and her mother's.

"Pretty much, but you didn't get anything," Alexis said to Beckett.

"It's alright, I get the feeling one or more of us will want to come back," Beckett said simply. "I might try then." She was distracted then by Julia, as she dragged her feet a little, yawning loudly.

"I was waiting for that," Castle said, picking up the little girl as they crossed the street. He held her on his hip, wondering if she was going to ask to go to her mother instead. But she didn't say a word, only wrapped her arms around his neck. "So I guess you're going to sleep?" he asked the little girl.

"Not yet," Beckett said, reaching up to squeeze Julia's hand. "She needs to stay up until at least eight."

A little confused, Castle then remembered the time difference and nodded saying to Julia, "Think you can stay awake?"

"I think so," the little girl sighed as she turned her head to look at her mother. "I don't have to go to bed?"

"Not yet," Beckett said. As they turned the corner on Sutter, she wrapped her arm around Castle's arm, asking Julia about what she'd seen inside the stores to try and keep her awake. They continued on like that, the four of them talking and bringing the little girl into their conversation as she and Castle kept shaking her gently to make sure she was awake until they reached the Westin St. Francis.

* * *

"I don't think I have ever seen Julia like that," Castle said, handing Beckett a glass of wine.

"Out before I finished brushing her teeth?" she asked with a smile. She took a sip when he nodded and then said, "It's rare, but it has happened before. Mainly after we've watched-"

" _Dancing With the Stars_ ," Castle said. "I remember." They were quiet then and he took a few sips of his own glass of red wine before he said, "So."

"So?" Beckett asked questioningly, wondering where he was going with his tone.

"It doesn't interest you in the slightest?" Castle asked.

Sighing as he was nodding out the window the couch was in front of, Beckett said, "It does, but the key word is slightly."

Turning to look down onto Powell, Castle said, "It really interests me."

"Are you suggesting we run a parallel investigation to the SFPD's?" Beckett asked, watching him.

"That's okay," Castle said then, looking at her for a moment.

"That reminds me, we never finished our conversation," Beckett said, setting down her glass and turning so she was facing him more.

"About what?" Castle asked.

"About who," Beckett corrected. "What is it you don't like about Erin?"

Looking out onto Union Square, Castle thought over his answer and then said, "I just get a very weird… feeling around her."

"A feeling? You're acting weird because of a feeling you're getting about a woman you've never even met before today?" Beckett asked, slightly incredulously.

"I follow my instincts Kate, and that's what I'm getting from her, it's creepy. It's the way she was looking at us as we were talking about the body. I don't know, maybe she thought we were being a little too pushy. I mean me," Castle quickly amended at her look. "But it was just… not very friendly. She would make a horrible worker for the Tourism Board."

Sighing deeply, Beckett then said, "Okay, but since we're not likely to see her again…"

"No, you're right, we probably won't," Castle said, realizing what she wanted him to understand. "Let me make a promise to you right now," he said, taking her left hand in his and placing it on his chest. "That I will not try and look into the case at all, except for reading about it in the papers tomorrow."

"Thank you," Beckett said simply. She then smiled and said, "You said something about instincts?"

"Yeah, I follow them…" Castle began before trailing off as she leaned over, pressing a few kisses against his jaw. He didn't say another word, instead stood and grabbed her hand, pulling her up with him. Their arms wrapped around each other, he kissed her hard, feeling her hands sliding up the back of his neck. He almost started to pull her to the bedroom before they'd even pulled apart, but the soft knock at the door interrupted him and they turned at the same time to look at it.

"Room service?" Beckett asked as he walked over to the door, wondering if he'd ordered something else.

"Just the wine," Castle said before looking out. "Okay," he said slowly, looking back at Beckett before he opened the door and stepped aside so she could see who was there.

"Erin," Beckett said in surprise seeing her friend and her partner. "Come in," she said, looking at Castle who shrugged.

"We're sorry to bother you," Markowitz said. "But we've been talking about our case, and we came to a conclusion not too long ago."

"Sit, please," Castle said, frowning a little as he could guess what that conclusion was.

"Our victim is actually a doctor from the city morgue," Neville said. "And interviewing people here at the hotel; she was carried to the roof in a rolled up rug, already dead."

"We're civilians," Beckett said slowly. "Why are you telling us this?"

"We'd like to ask you both to look into this case," Markowitz said. "I know you're on vacation here," he said quickly as Castle and Beckett looked at each other. "But we have very little to go on, and I think you both could really help us out. The mayor's a little anxious to get this solved, because this happened right in the middle of a heavy tourist area, and he's worried about the city's reputation if we don't figure out who killed our vic."

"What exactly would you want us to do," Beckett said.

"We can share some aspects of the case with you, but you might have connections that we don't," Markowitz said. "You wouldn't need to come with us as we look into leads, just look into this case from a different angle."

"You'd like us to basically try and investigate on our own," Castle said.

"To a degree," Markowitz said.

Looking over at Beckett's friend, Castle was about to say no when he suddenly heard his fiancée saying, "We can help."

"But we're not really going to be investigating as you are, so we might not find anything," Beckett said simply as she saw Castle's confused expression.

"We're not expecting you to really," Neville said. "But anything you can figure out would be beneficial. Okay, then I guess we should tell you everything we can."

"Do you have any kind of permission to be telling us about your case?" Castle asked as Markowitz took out a case file and opened it on the table.

"The mayor," Markowitz said. "He contacted the mayor of NYC and he discussed how you've been a great help to the NYPD Mr. Castle, and that you have an impressive closure rate Ms. Beckett. So he wants your help."

"We'll be happy to do so," Castle said a little reluctantly. He then looked at the picture of the victim, leaning over as Beckett did the same to look at the crime scene photos.

* * *

"Are you mad?" Beckett asked as she and Castle were lying in bed a few hours later.

"No, just frustrated that we've got this case during our vacation," Castle said, moving his head slightly so it was closer to her ear. "You don't mind looking into it?"

"I told them we're not investigating it like they are, and we're not going to be hanging around them either," Beckett said.

"Ryan and Espo?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, you'll have to call them, but you didn't bring your laptop," Beckett said. "Or your tablet."

"Alexis… oh, hers are back in Sausalito," Castle groaned. "Okay, I'm sorry, but really, I did want to take it easy and spend most of my time out of the hotel. I do have my phone," he told her as she rolled over to face him. "What about my promise?"

"Null and void at this point," Beckett said with a smile. "But let's just hope it goes quickly and they don't really need us on the case more than what they've asked. But it's weird, taking that much time and effort to get her body here, to slit her throat… what was Price's life like before today that it brought her to this point?"

"See? Now you know how I feel," Castle joked. "But you're right about her; she needs to be looked into. That sketch though, I don't think they're going to get much from it unless…"

"Unless," Beckett prompted, knowing he was formulating something and bracing herself for it.

"A hippie?" Castle suggested.

"A hippie? You're tired aren't you?" Beckett asked with a slight smile.

"Very, sorry we got… interrupted earlier," Castle said, rubbing his cheek.

"It wasn't your fault. But, we should get some sleep and focus on tomorrow's plans which are Berkley and Alcatraz. However, we have time in the morning before we go to take a look into Barbara Price," Beckett said.

"We do," Castle agreed. "To tell you the truth I'm looking forward to Alcatraz and Berkley more."

"Me too," Beckett replied. She leaned over then and shared a short, simple kiss with him before pressing her cheek against his chest. "Night," she said sleepily, feeling him hold her tighter.

"Night Kate," Castle said, watching her. He kissed her cheek and then settled back as he closed his eyes, it taking little time to join her as they fell asleep deeply after the day's exhaustion.


	4. Kicking At The Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Blood From a Clone by George Harrison, from his album Somewhere in England.

Feeling fingers brushing her hair off her cheek, Beckett blinked until her eyes stayed open and she turned onto her back, looking up to see that it was Castle. "You're up?" she asked sleepily as she sat up, rubbing her face a little to wake up more.

"It's ten," Castle said simply. "We've been asleep for almost nine hours. I've got coffee out in the room though."

"Then I guess we need to get going," Beckett said as she pushed off the covers and got out of bed. "Breakfast?"

"Here too," Castle said simply.

"And Julia, your mom and Alexis?" Beckett asked as he held her robe for her since the room was chilly.

"They've got breakfast too, I called room service for them," Castle said. "I figured we could have breakfast on our own, lunch and dinners I'm guessing we'll pretty much be with them. Oh, except for that one dinner we're having alone."

"Right, well, have you called Ryan and Esposito?" Beckett asked as they walked out to the main room of their suite and she saw the coffee and dishes set up at the table.

"Not yet, wanted to get some coffee before I bothered with the case," Castle said easily as he followed her to the window. He smiled as he could tell she was looking at the weather and said, "We got lucky."

"Very lucky, looks like that fog burned up fast," Beckett said, a little amazed at the gorgeous blue sky outside their hotel. "I wonder how Julia is," she couldn't help saying as they went to the table together. "Probably awake already…" she began to say when Castle stopped her. She wasn't too surprised when he kissed her, and responded to the very simple kiss before they parted slowly.

"Good morning," Castle said simply.

"I think the kiss conveyed that, thank you," Beckett said before they sat down. "What about the paper?" she said, knowing they could both too easily ditch their meal to head to the bedroom to go back to what they'd almost done the night before.

"They put in the sketch," Castle said, showing her the _San Francisco Times_ front page. "And already people are asking the police to solve this case. I looked at the vic on Google, and didn't really get much about her though. She was born here in San Francisco, went to school at USC and has been with the Medical Examiner's Office for eight years."

"How old was she?" Beckett asked.

"Thirty eight," Castle said. "She's married, and her husband works at the Medical Examiner's Office as well."

"There's their first suspect," Beckett said, nodding as she recalled Neville and Markowitz mentioning a husband. "But if it's him-"

"He might have hired someone to do it," Castle said, since the man hadn't been arrested yet. "Or there's not enough evidence right now."

"That's it?" Beckett asked him as they were quiet for a few minutes.

"That's it, should I call?" Castle asked. When she nodded he got his phone and dialed Ryan's number. "Hey Ryan," he said when the detective picked up on the other end.

"Castle, why are you calling?" he said in surprise. "Aren't you in San Francisco?"

"I am, but I need to ask for yours and Esposito's help," Castle said, looking at Beckett who mouthed the word 'Ferrari.' He shrugged and he nearly missed what Ryan said next when she gave him a surprised glance.

"So you seriously have another murder while you're on vacation?" Ryan was saying, obvious amusement in his voice.

"Yeah," Castle was quick to say so he wouldn't have to ask him to repeat what he'd said. "It happened-"

"I heard that there was a body thrown off a hotel over there," Ryan interrupted. "The Westin St. Francis."

"You're looking at the story online aren't you?" Castle asked as Beckett rolled her eyes while she finished her toast.

"I am, and seriously dude? How bad is your luck?" Ryan said.

"It's not like I'm planning this," Castle said. "Believe me, I'd love to have a normal vacation, but there it is. And Alexis saw the vic's body falling after it got thrown off the roof."

"Oh man, I didn't know, is she alright?" Ryan asked.

"She's fine, it was a shock for her, but she recovered quickly. So, I was wondering if you and Esposito could look into the vic," Castle said. "As I didn't bring my laptop or tablet and don't really have time to search."

"And what, you think that we don't have anything else better to do?" Ryan asked after Esposito had muttered something to him in the background.

"You don't have a case, although it's Sunday, why are you at the station?" Castle asked.

"Some evidence got mislabeled," Esposito said loud enough for them to hear. "We're almost finished and once we are we're heading to The Old Haunt, get a drink and watch some soccer."

"And Beckett," Castle said, looking at her next to him.

"She's at her dad's cabin," Ryan said. "You forgot?"

"I didn't remember what day she said she was leaving," Castle said. "She said she's going off grid didn't she?"

"I don't think she'd appreciate you bringing her into this case man," Ryan said. "Okay, we can help you out I think. But we-"

"How long?" Castle interrupted him.

"Since it's a Sunday… how about a week each and an IOU for some Knicks tickets?" Esposito said on the phone then.

"You came on just for that?" Castle asked as he saw Beckett had her hand up to her mouth and was trying not to laugh.

"Couldn't leave it to Ryan," Esposito said simply.

"Fine, but the tickets you better remind me about," Castle said. "So her name is Barbara Price, and I already know that she works at the ME's office here in San Francisco and she's married."

"So look into the husband too," Ryan said. "Got it."

"Yeah, those better be some good seats bro," Esposito said. "And why are you looking into this?"

"The two detectives on the case with the SFPD asked me after Alexis gave a statement," Castle said, seeing Beckett nod to that explanation. "But it's just in the context of connections I might have that could help their case."

"So you're not actually investigating it like you did in the Hamptons," Ryan said.

"Not yet, with his luck?" Esposito said.

"I'm still here guys, and thanks, if you have anything, text me as I'm heading to Berkley today, so I won't answer my phone while I'm out," Castle said. He said goodbye to the detectives, and then hung up saying, "I thought it would be better not to let them know all our plans."

"It makes sense," Beckett said. "Nice touch forgetting when I was supposed to leave the city."

"I thought it'd work," Castle said with a shrug. "Okay, so now that we have done everything we can, sightseeing?"

"Yes, and finally," Beckett said, finishing the last of her coffee. "When we go to Alcatraz though, can you take it easy with the haunted stuff?" she asked as they went into the bedroom to change.

"Not a problem, but, that doesn't mean Alexis and I aren't going to be geeks running around to where they went on the show," Castle warned her.

"I already expected that," Beckett said. "That and you'll be taking a lot of pictures."

"You know you can go into the jail cells there, they lock you up for a little," Castle commented as he watched her taking off her shirt.

"I'm aware, but are you sure you want to give me any ideas?" Beckett asked, jumping a little when she felt his hand sliding over her side before she could put on her blouse.

"That can be the same for me so easily," Castle said simply. "But I know what you'll say next, and I'll behave… or attempt to anyways."

"And that's all I ask," Beckett said, kissing him quickly on the lips before they parted to finish getting dressed.

* * *

"Mommy! Morning Mommy," Julia said happily as Beckett walked into the suite.

"Hey sweetie, how'd you sleep?" she asked as she picked her daughter up, kissing her in greeting.

"Okay, but I waited for you to do my hair," Julia quickly replied.

A little concerned as her okay wasn't really that happy in tone, Beckett nodded and said, "Go get your brush and if you want me to put anything we brought into your hair then bring it too." Once Julia was in the bathroom of hers and Alexis' room, she then turned to Castle's daughter and asked, "Was she okay last night?"

"Actually, I had a nightmare about…" Alexis began before gesturing out the window. "And when I woke up she said she'd had one too. I tried to ask her what it was about, but she wouldn't say."

"Sweetie, come here," Beckett said in slight concern, wondering if Julia had seen the vic's body after all. "You had a nightmare?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. She was a little startled when Julia's chin suddenly wobbled, and tears welled up in her eyes an instant before she burst into tears. "Julia, it's okay," she said as she hugged her tightly to her. "It was just a nightmare."

Shaking her head, Julia managed to sob out, "I-I didn't say the truth, I didn't have a nightmare."

"Why did you say you did?" Castle asked, sitting next to Beckett and putting his hand on Julia's shoulder.

"B-Because Alexis was scared, and I didn't want h-her to feel scared, so I told her that so she would forget and not be afraid," Julia said. "I'm sorry I lied Mommy, Castle. I wanted to help."

"Shh, it's okay," Beckett said, smiling at Castle as he handed her a tissue. "And I mean that," she said as she gently pushed Julia away from her to dry her cheeks. "Because even though you lied, it did help Alexis."

"It did," the young woman said immediately, having picked up on Beckett's cue. "And I'm just glad that you didn't really have a nightmare."

"I think we all are," Martha said, having come out to the room from her bedroom. "We were worried about her as we were eating breakfast. But we're thankful you're okay Julia."

"And you said you're sorry, so at least you know you shouldn't lie," Castle said. "That's pretty important."

"It is?" Julia asked, sniffing slightly as she calmed down since no one was mad. When he nodded, she went over into Castle's arms and hugged him tightly before she ran around the back of the couch to Alexis. "I'm sorry," she told her seriously again.

"It's okay," Alexis reassured her, picking her up. "I'm serious about being glad that you wanted to help me forget about my nightmare." She smiled when Julia hugged her around the neck and she returned it before putting the little girl down saying, "Go do your hair so we can leave."

"I'm a little confused," Martha said as they waited for Beckett to put Julia's reddish brown hair into two braided pigtails on the sides of her head. "How exactly are we getting to Berkley if we're not taking the car?"

"The BART," Alexis said quickly.

"Who's that?" Julia asked, looking up at her without moving her head.

"It's a subway, kind of like the one at home, but not really since it does go above ground," Alexis said. "But it's pretty nice; I think you'll have fun on it."

"And from Berkley we head back on the BART," Castle said slowly. "Take the stop closest to the Ferry Building and take a cab to… Pier 33," he said after looking at the receipt for the Alcatraz tickets.

"Speaking of traveling, we can go, you are all set," Beckett said, putting down Julia's brush and standing with her. "But before all that-"

"The cable cars," Alexis finished excitedly as she was speaking to Julia who clapped her hands and jumped up and down in excitement as well.

Smiling as she let Castle's daughter help Julia with her coat, Beckett took his hand when they were leaving the suite, and watched the two walk ahead of them, skipping together down the hall. "So now I think the trip's really started," she commented to him.

"I'll agree," Castle said. "And let's hope I don't hear from the boys for a while." He wasn't surprised when Beckett nodded slightly, but wondered if she was feeling a little strange then, knowing they had a case they were supposed to be helping with, but leaving to sightsee instead. As he glanced at her, he had the sense that she was, and he was relieved as it was less awkward carrying that on his own. He squeezed her hand as they walked into the elevator and told her, to get his mind off that, "I'll take some pictures of you two on the cable cars."

"Deal, but same for me taking pictures of you, Julia and Alexis," Beckett said as they headed down, knowing what he was doing changing the subject to their vacation.

"I think we'll all take pictures of each other," Martha said wryly. "Let's just hope we'll have the chance."

* * *

"So this is your school?" Castle asked as they stepped across Oxford Street after leaving the BART stop.

"This is part of it," Alexis said, watching him closely. "What do you think?"

"It's pretty," Martha said, watching her son; as was Beckett.

"I can see you all out of the corner of my eye. And I like it, it is pretty, I'll agree Mother," Castle said, turning to look at them. "If you have to go to a radical school, I'm glad you're going to this one." He laughed when Alexis punched him on the shoulder playfully and he wrapped his arm around her saying, "Give us the tour."

"I can't show you everything," Alexis protested. "Plus the buildings are pretty much closed."

"Pretty much?" Beckett asked, letting Julia run to the creek in front of them.

"Well, where I'm taking a couple classes, Tolman Hall is open," Alexis said. "It's over there," she said as she pointed north from the creek.

"Why is it open?" Martha asked as they all watched Castle go down to where Julia was starting to kick at the water.

"There's a faculty meeting on the top floor for the Psychology department," Alexis said. "I can show you where I'm taking my classes though."

"Sweetie," Beckett said, slightly warningly as Castle carried her daughter under his arm to her laughing heavily.

"Sorry," Julia said as she was set down. They started walking back to the street and she ran to Alexis, taking her hand. "This is where you go to school?"

"It is, do you like it?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah, but I wish it was at home," Julia said.

"I know, but I'm almost done with my semester here, and after I promise you I'll go back to Columbia," Alexis assured her. "But I'll show you one of my classrooms here right now; you won't believe how big the room is."

"Is it a lecture course?" Beckett asked.

"It is," Alexis said. "For my Developmental Psychology course and about two doors down from that is where I go for my Clinical Psychology class."

"What about your other classes?" Martha said. "I only remember hearing about three from you."

"I'm taking six," Alexis said, hesitating slightly. "But my fourth one is a biology class, I needed a lab course, and it's Ecosystems of California. That one is actually pretty fun, we're going to head out to Point Reyes in May, so I'm eager to go."

"Then what are the other two?" Castle asked, wondering too what she was taking that she wasn't sharing with them. "And really, you know it's your decision what classes you take, as long as it helps you to graduate I don't think it matters."

"I know, but I'm taking the Hindu Mythology course," Alexis said slowly, waiting for their reactions.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Castle said quickly.

"I'm going to guess it's because of Julia listening to George Harrison's music?" Beckett asked as they neared a building with Tolman Hall at the top of the doors.

"That and Diana's taking it too, we decided to take one class together and that was it," Alexis said. "The second one is Modern Irish."

"Really? You're learning to speak that out of all the languages you were telling me they offer here?" Martha asked in slight surprise.

"I know, but it just stood out to me. Plus I've always wanted to go to Ireland," Alexis answered, looking at her dad.

"It was a trip on my own," Castle said apologetically. "But we'll go one day, I'd love to take you," he said, addressing them all that time. "You'd enjoy it."

"Is it very green?" Julia asked as they walked into the hall then. "And say something Irish," she then said, bouncing as she turned to Alexis.

" _Tá sé an-_ _glas_ ," the young woman then said in Irish, answering her father's question for him. "It's very green," she said as Julia looked surprised and a little confused.

"Oh, that's pretty, will you teach me when you come home?" the little girl asked eagerly.

"Of course," Alexis said distractedly as a security guard walked up to them. "Hey Dern," she said, recognizing the man. "I just want to take them into 120 to show them where I take my Developmental Psych class."

"Taking the family on a tour?" the guard asked.

"They're here for Spring Break," Alexis said with a nod.

"Then go ahead, but Professor Lynch is going to be heading down soon, they're taking a coffee break in about ten minutes," the guard said.

"Thanks Dern. Down here," Alexis told the others. "He's really nice," she explained as they were walking down the hall. "He's participated in some of the anti-war protests on campus."

"So he's lenient?" Castle asked.

"No," Alexis said simply. "Okay, here's the hall," she said once they'd reached room 120. She opened the door and let them go inside before following saying, "I'd show you my other classrooms, but I know four of them are closed, and my Hindu Mythology classroom is usually outside."

"Outside?" Martha said.

"That makes sense," Beckett said, glancing over from where she was watching Julia running around. "But you have to have a classroom."

"It's different every time we need to go inside," Alexis said. "The professor's pretty casual, but he's a great teacher."

"Where do you sit when you come here?" Julia asked.

"Different places," Alexis said, taking her to the front row. "But you get a little desk," she said, taking the self from the side of the chair and setting it up over Julia's lap.

"Oh, Mommy, when can I come here?" Julia asked as the others gathered around them.

"You want to leave us already for college?" Castle asked before Beckett could say anything.

Julia looked a little conflicted until her mother picked her up out of the chair and she asked her, "I don't have to come do I?" as she wrapped her arms around her neck.

"No, but for now just enjoy visiting," Beckett said, kissing her cheek before she carried her out the door.

"Okay, so I guess we'll just walk down University Drive," Alexis said. "And check out the buildings. We can see if the bookstore is open, maybe you'll want a mug that says UC Berkley?" she asked her dad as they were leaving the building.

"A pen," Castle corrected her.

"Why don't you two lead the way," Beckett suggested as she put Julia down outside. She watched her walk hand in hand with Alexis before she felt Castle slipping his hand into hers. "So it meets with your approval?" she asked.

"It does, I kind of wish I'd come here," Castle said. "But, visiting now is fine."

"You're getting an idea?" Beckett asked as she could tell by his tone.

"Maybe, but let it percolate, and we'll see what happens," Castle stated.

"If there's a café around here, we might need to stop," Beckett said before she smiled widely at his confused look. They followed Alexis, who was pointing out some of the buildings to them and distracting her from their conversation for the time being, knowing she would bring up his burgeoning idea later on when he'd had enough time to think it through, wondering what he'd come up with.

* * *

"Jules, stay here," Alexis told the little girl as they waited for the others to join them on the ferry.

"I wanna see the ship," Julia said a little impatiently. She quailed then as she saw her mother walking down the gangplank to board the boat, and hid behind Alexis.

"Julia, come here," Beckett said, taking her hand and pulling her around. "I need you to listen to me okay, but first let's go somewhere a little more private." She took her daughter to the bow of the ship, and sat on a bench there holding her in front of her. "We're going on an island, and we can't have you running around the prison or around the paths. You could get lost or hurt, and I want you to be able to have fun without having to worry about that," she told her slightly seriously.

"Okay, I'll stay with you," Julia said quickly, her green eyes wide.

"With one of us," Beckett said gently, her slight irritation at Julia's running to the ferry fading as she saw her daughter's eyes at that moment matched the emerald of her pendant. "And I know you'll listen, so I'll only tell you once," she said, hugging her.

"Can I go look now?" Julia whispered after kissing her mother's cheek; the ship pulling away from the dock.

"Go ahead," Beckett said, smiling as Julia took off.

"So she'll run but only in an enclosed area," Castle commented.

"Pretty much," Beckett said with a smile.

"No, I want… Castle!" Julia exclaimed; having been talking to Alexis who was trying to pick her up; running up to him as he and her mother walked to the railing. She jumped up and held up her arms begging, "I wanna see more, will you hold me?"

Picking her up, Castle threw her a little higher, knowing their proximity to the rail would freak Beckett out. And he got confirmation of that once he had Julia on his hip and he received a punch to the arm. "She wanted to go higher," he said defensively since the little girl was giggling heavily.

"I did, thank you," Julia said with a broad smile on her face. She pointed to the Golden Gate Bridge and said, "We went there yesterday."

"There's Alcatraz up ahead," Alexis pointed out.

"Should we head inside?" Castle asked as he could feel Julia shivering in his arms after a few more minutes in the wind.

"No, please, can I have a drink and I won't be cold?" Julia protested.

"I'll get some hot chocolates," Alexis said quickly, leaving them. "And see where Gram is so we don't get lost from her."

"We can just call her," Beckett said.

"Not really, reception out here is going to be nonexistent, especially on the island," Alexis said before she disappeared back inside.

"So I guess if Ryan and Esposito find anything, they're not going to be able to contact us," Castle said, seeing Julia seemed to be distracted.

"I know, but, better that way," Beckett said. "I still want to stick to the vacation," she told him when she saw his surprised look, rolling her eyes.

Coming back outside with a tray of drinks, Alexis smiled as she watched her dad, Beckett and Julia looking at the Golden Gate Bridge. It still was a surprise the times she saw them, very much comfortable with one another, since less than a year before things had been very different. She was also glad she never felt as if she were intruding on them in what she had called in her mind their 'family moments' but knew it was because Julia was looking at her as part of that already. She rubbed the little girl's cheeks playfully when she reached them and took her when she held her arms out as Castle and Beckett took their drinks. She stayed at the railing holding Julia until they came close enough to Alcatraz to see the sign on the southern end of the island.

"What does that say?" Julia asked.

"It's from the prison," Beckett said quickly. "Just saying that you can't help the prisoners escape."

"Oh, are they still there?" Julia asked, sounding a little fearful.

"The prison closed in 1963, so there's nobody there but tourists and the people who work here," Castle assured her.

"That's pretty creepy," Alexis said as they went to the eastern side of the island and could see a burned out house above. "Isn't that where they went before the lockdown?" she asked her dad.

"It is, and you're right, I bet at night it's even more so," Castle agreed, watching Julia to see if she'd ask them what they were talking about. But he saw she was looking around the side of the island before the boat swung around so it could dock with the pier facing south to make its return trip. "We should go," he said. "Where's your gram?"

"Inside on a chair, with some coffee," Alexis said as they left the bow and headed back inside, throwing away their cups. "Are you excited?" she asked Julia as she set her down and took her hand.

"A lot, but it's not scary?" Julia asked as she looked up at her.

"It's just a building," Castle answered with a shrug. "And we'll be there, you won't be alone," he reassured her, not too surprised when she went over to him and took his hand tightly.

Getting off the ferry took a little time as everyone had crowded around the exit, but Castle led the way through the people and they were soon on the island itself. Walking towards the building that was nearest to the pier, they saw the other passengers on the boat were gathering around a park ranger. The man ended up giving a quick speech about the rules and also different places to go on the island besides the prison.

"Okay, so now that we know where to go, do you want to check out the movie?" Castle asked the others, once the ranger had stopped speaking.

"I want to see everything on the island," Alexis said. "In person."

"I know, I was talking with Beckett about that earlier," Castle said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they walked ahead of the other three. "And I cannot wait to see the morgue, the prison, everything they saw."

"I'm still surprised you watched the episode with her," Alexis admitted to him.

"Me too, but I really think she was indulging me," Castle said as they went up the steps to the door at the Visitor's Center. "And I'm afraid that she's got something up her sleeve for later; for the way I begged her to watch with me." He jerked slightly when he felt fingers flicking against his ear lobe and he looked behind them.

"I'm right here," Beckett said wryly, on her own since Martha and Julia were walking behind her. "And don't give me ideas."

"Right," Castle said quickly. He then looked past her and motioned for Julia to come up to him. "We're going to watch a movie," he told her once the little girl was walking in between him and Alexis, Beckett holding his free hand that he'd grabbed. "It shouldn't be too long, and then we'll go on the tour."

"Did you ever ask Diana about that?" Beckett asked as they went past a gift shop and down a hall past screens set up with chairs in front of them in dark alcoves.

"She said they won't give a set to her, she's too young," Alexis said. "But remember I said they do allow kids here."

"I remember, and I see you were right," Beckett said, nodding to some strollers behind the last rows of chairs in the two alcoves they passed. "Okay, here's good, any further we're going to freeze," she said, tugging on Castle's hand to stop him.

Watching as everyone else sat, Julia hesitated, until Martha helped her up onto her lap and she leaned back against her, watching as the orientation film began.

Watching her daughter to make sure she'd be alright with what was being shown, Beckett picked her up once the dim lights came back on in the alcove and said, "So now you know what Alcatraz is."

"Yeah, does it still take care of San Francisco?" Julia asked, pointing towards where she thought the city was.

"No, but it's a fun place to visit," Castle answered. "Let's check out the prison."

"Wanna walk with Alexis," Julia said quickly as they left the building. Once her mother had set her down, she ran ahead to where Alexis was leading them and took her hand.

"Think you can make it up to the jail? There's warnings all over the place about the slope up there," Castle asked his mother as they reached the Sally Port a short distance from the Visitor's Center.

"It can't be that bad," Martha said, shaking her head. "But if it is," she said as she noticed both her son and Beckett were looking at her. "Then I'll go back to where they have the shuttle."

"Look at the cannon Dad," Alexis said since they were inside the guardhouse itself.

"What were they planning to fire on?" Martha asked, watching the others all standing around the old weapon.

"Whatever was in the Bay," Beckett said, looking out the small window.

"Does it still fire?" Julia asked as they then continued on.

"No, which is good, because there's nothing to fire on," Castle said, that time Julia walking in between him and Beckett, his mother and Alexis behind them. "These are… oh, this is the Military Dorm," he said, looking at the map they'd gotten with their tickets. "Still in pretty good shape considering."

"Was it here they lived?" Beckett mused before she turned to the southwest. "The families," she said quickly as she could see Alexis and Martha looked confused. "Remember the movie."

"I can't imagine living here, would be too creepy. The going to school via ferry would be fun though," Alexis said.

"Going to school in San Francisco is pretty cool," Castle commented as they turned to walk up the incline.

"I'm sure most of those kids were from here originally," Beckett pointed out.

"I'm speaking as a non-native," Castle said.

Shrugging, Beckett looked down at Julia and asked, "Okay sweetie?"

"Yeah, I like hearing what you say, it's fun," Julia said, smiling up at her.

"Oh, there's the… building," Alexis said, grabbing her dad's arm as she pointed to the small building. "Remember they let Nick in there?"

"Go," Beckett said. "We'll wait here," shaking her head as the two hurried over to what was the Military Morgue.

"Well, at least they gave us fair warning," Martha commented.

"Alexis?" Beckett asked. She had to smile when Castle's mother nodded, and looked down as Julia let go of her hand. "Stay close," she said simply, watching her daughter walking to the railing on the incline near them. She was about to say something to Martha, when she heard her daughter squeak out slightly and she turned to her.

"Come look!" Julia said, motioning with her hand.

Walking over with Beckett, Martha leaned over and saw the birds in the foliage on the other side of the railing. "Seagulls," she said, before she then saw what it was that had Julia so excited.

"And their chicks," Castle said, leaning over next to Julia. "Who are little balls of feathers apparently. I had no idea they looked like that."

"They're pretty cute," Alexis commented.

"How was it over there?" Beckett asked as they waited for Julia to take a picture before they continued up.

"Interesting, gotta be eerie at night," Castle said, since Julia and Alexis were walking with his mother ahead of them. They had to concentrate on walking up to the prison then, and he kept an eye on the three in front of them, especially Julia, to make sure they all made it up the road safely.

"Made it," Alexis said, breathing out exaggeratedly as she looked at Julia. "Okay?"

"Yeah," Julia replied before she felt Castle's hand on the back of her head and she looked up at him. "Carry me?" she asked him.

Going inside the Main Prison, they joined the line to get the headphones and player that had the tour on it. At the beginning, Julia stayed with Castle; not letting him put her down until they got to the Cell Block and the walkway which was called Broadway.

While she was listening to the tour, Beckett couldn't help but watch Julia, wondering if she looked awed because of how large the prison was, or because of fear. But the little girl started running ahead of them, and she hurried after her, stopping her in front of some pictures on the wall. "Stay with us," she said quickly before they rejoined the others.

Julia tried not to run around, but once they got to the door out to the Exercise Yard, she was allowed to run around on the grounds, jumping around.

"Where is this coming from?" Castle asked as they followed her down to the other end.

"Having to restrain herself, she was pulling on my hand the whole time," Beckett said, shaking her head. "But she seems to be okay."

"Hopefully when we get to solitary confinement she won't have a problem," Castle commented as Julia went along the back wall of the yard and then suddenly ran over to where Alexis was sitting on the steps.

"Don't force her to go in," Beckett said warningly. "But you're free to."

"Of course I'm going to go in, it's where Nick got his shirt pulled," Castle said eagerly.

"Great, why don't we continue so we can head down to the garden," Beckett said, tugging his hand so they could join their daughters on the steps.

Meeting up with Martha back inside the Cell Block, they continued the tour, Julia taking pictures then but staying in front of them. When they reached solitary confinement, Castle took his daughter inside one cell and Beckett stood with Julia and Martha to watch them.

"I don't think I would close my eyes in here, even that would be terrifying," Martha commented as they looked around the tiny cell. "I can't imagine what it would be like in here with this door closed."

"You'd go insane," Beckett said, shaking her head. "Let's keep moving," she said to Castle quickly, nodding down to Julia.

"Right, I think we're almost done, so we can go outside and check out the view of the city," Castle said quickly, seeing the fearful look on the little girl's face. He reached down to her and picked her up, making her legs kick out into the air to her cry of laughter. "Help me with my earphones?" he asked as he took them off from around his neck.

Once they all had their headphones back in place, they continued down to the main office for the officers, and there paused the tour yet again so they could go out to the lighthouse and look at the city.

First out, Castle tried not to lose the door out of his grip, stepping back in surprise as the wind was almost a punch in the face. "It's windy," he warned them.

"Then I'll stay in, Julia?" Martha asked since the little girl was with her then.

"I wanna go out," Julia quickly answered, running to Alexis.

"Alright, but you better hold on tight to her hand, so you don't blow away," Castle warned her.

Holding back her hair as best she could, Beckett couldn't help but laugh as another gust of wind pushed her against Castle. "Is it always this windy here?" she asked Alexis.

"I told you, Diana warned me about coming out here," Alexis said.

"I guess I should have listened," Beckett said as she could feel Castle's hand helping her hold her hair back from her face. "And put my hair back like you two did."

"Feel free to do that," Castle said.

Taking a band from Alexis, Beckett quickly gathered her hair as best she could into a loose ponytail, following her and Julia to the side where they could see the Golden Gate Bridge. "The guards had a great view," she said, pointing down to the ruins they could see of what had been the officer's apartments.

"Too bad, if they were still there we could have walked down there," Castle said. "And the wind is worth it," he then commented as they turned to the city.

"I don't know Castle," Beckett said slowly. "Do you still think they made it?"

"Good question, depends on the water," he replied, looking around the Bay. "Maybe not," he said as he could see the water was choppy in the wind.

"It's cold," Alexis said, having been listening to them as she'd helped Julia take pictures. "I went with Diana to the Presidio when it warmed up last week, we dipped our feet in and it was freezing."

"Don't they have a triathlon or something here?" Castle asked. When Alexis nodded he shuddered and then said, "Got enough pictures?" to Julia.

"Yeah, can we go inside?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Want me to carry you?" Castle asked. When she shook her head, holding out her hand, he took it and followed her mother and Alexis back inside. She stayed with him the rest of the tour, and it wasn't until they got to the cafeteria that she let go of him to sit between his mother and Alexis on one of the benches until the audio stopped.

"We'll meet you in the gift shop," Martha told the two as she took Julia and Alexis to the exit.

"Interesting," Beckett said, taking the headphones off her ears. "I never realized the history here."

"So are you glad we had a chance to come?" Castle asked her, taking her headphones and player.

"Very," Beckett said. "But we should hurry, because it's getting colder and-"

"The wind's pretty bad," Castle finished for her. When she nodded he followed her out of the cafeteria, and they headed down to the gift shop after dropping off the players.

"Mommy, can I get a shirt?" Julia asked, hurrying over to them when they came in.

"Why don't we wait," Beckett said quickly. "And see what they have at Fisherman's Wharf before we pick something out here. But I'll buy you one thing." She smiled back at Castle as Julia took her hand and they went into the larger section of the store.

With Alexis claiming his attention next; having him help her select gifts for friends in NYC; Castle lost track of where Julia and Beckett were until they were walking to the registers. "Looks like you got a really nice teddy bear," he said, looking up at his fiancée with one eyebrow raised since the white bear was dressed in a stripped prison suit.

"It's what she wanted," Beckett said shrugging. "I don't think it'll scare her, do you?"

"If she isn't already then I guess not," Castle said as Alexis and Julia were ahead of them. "My mother is waiting down at the gift shop by the dock," he told her as she was looking around the exit near the registers.

"She didn't want to go look at the birds?" Beckett asked with a smile as they were waiting.

"She's fine, she doesn't really want to deal with that wind," Castle said. "And you?"

"I'm fine," Beckett said. "I'm lucky your daughter had that band."

Nodding, that was all Castle could do in response as he had to step up to pay. After they got Alexis and Julia who were by the door waiting they made their way to the path down to the southwest side of the island below the prison. "I completely forgot to ask. Flowers?" he said to Alexis.

"There are," she replied with a smile as they walked down far enough to see the side of the incline up to the side of the prison was awash in color. "Remember how I said it warmed up?"

"Nice," Castle said as Julia was taking pictures. "Are you planning on taking one of every flower?" he asked as they waited for at least four minutes and the little girl barely moved, her camera clicking with each shot she took.

"I think you two should go ahead," Beckett said. "She'll be taking a while."

"Actually, I'd like to stay with her," Alexis said, taking the bag from the gift shop her dad was holding. "I want to take some pictures too. I've been inspired by her and the flowers."

"Speaking of that," Beckett said. "If you could take some pictures of her right now, I would be very grateful."

"That's actually what I want to take a picture of," Alexis said with a smile. "I'll send them to you once I have them."

"Alright, we'll walk ahead, but not too far," Castle said, having been trying to get Julia's attention before he finally succeeded and she looked up at him. "Don't take too long."

"And stay with Alexis," Beckett said finally before she kissed Julia's cheek to her giggle. She took Castle's hand as his other cupped the little girl's cheek while he kissed the other. "I'm wondering if this is a plan," she couldn't help say as they headed down the incline.

"I doubt it, Alexis wouldn't really do that," Castle commented as their fingers entwined. "But it worked out nicely. Except for the wind."

"That we're not getting away from," Beckett laughed slightly as a gust hit them then. She squeezed his hand and then looked over the edge of the flat part in the ramp where they had stopped, seeing the birds all the way down to the edge of the island. "I hope Julia doesn't forget about the birds," she said as Castle looked down with her.

"A few more minutes," he said, letting go of her hand and wrapping that arm around her back.

"That would be nice," Beckett conceded before she smiled and closed her eyes to kiss him. She knew there were people around them, but let that go until they needed to breathe.

"Can I request something really quickly?" Castle asked then.

"What?" Beckett said, watching as he took his phone out of his pocket. "Alright," she said, giving him a suffering sigh that was only for show. She leaned her head against his as he took the picture, and smiled when he turned the screen towards her.

"We take a very nice picture together I have to say," Castle said before putting his phone away.

"We do. Do you want to go further down," she began as he took her hand as they were turned towards where their daughters would come from. "Or stay here to w-" Before she could finish, she felt something slipping out of her pocket. Turning, she saw someone in a black hoodie with her phone clutched in their hand running down a dirt path to the north of the island and without thinking she jumped over the short curb to follow.

"Kate!" Castle said in surprise as she suddenly ran. He followed her then, wondering what had happened that she just took off.

"Stop!" Beckett yelled, knowing that wasn't going to happen, but force of habit had been hard to stop her from saying that. She jumped over a chain across a thin path in the dirt, knowing they were not supposed to be there as the terrain was uneven and she wondered where the man; as he turned and she could partially see his face; was going since they were approaching a long, abandoned building.

Catching up to Beckett, Castle saw something white clutched in the man's hand, and as he glanced back at them again, he could see the man's right eyebrow drawing down dramatically. It was the suspect from the sketch.

Running inside the open doors of the building the man had gone inside, Beckett skidded to a stop as Castle overstepped and would have tripped on a cracked tile if she hadn't grabbed him. She looked around, getting an uneasy feeling as she had nothing to protect them with. A scrape caught her attention; and Castle's; and together they walked down to a small hall towards the northern end of the building.

As they both looked into a small, dark closet, Castle and Beckett were both suddenly kicked, as the thief swung his legs taking them both down. First to jump back up, Beckett tried to punch the man in the face, but he was able to block her attack and used the distraction to throw her down on the floor.

Trying to kick at the man's leg or groin, Castle managed to punch the man in the jaw before he recovered and was then punched in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Before he could recover, he was shoved back, hitting a wall before he heard a few punches and something was abruptly thrown into him though he couldn't see. His head hit the wall behind him, and he was sliding down to the floor, dazed and unable to move.

"Castle?" Beckett wheezed out after she had heard the sound of a metal bar clattering on metal. She sucked in a breath of air the best she could, the thief having managed to knock the wind out of her too before throwing her against Castle inside the closet.

"I… what just happened?" Castle said, coming out of his daze and looking around the darkness. He felt Beckett try to stand, but he grabbed her tightly saying, "We need light, I think your legs are tangled with mine."

"Get your phone," Beckett said, realizing he was right. When he'd done so, and the flash for his camera was shining on them, she leaned over, groaning in slight pain as her ribs protested the movement. "So he stole my phone-" she began as she picked it off the ground.

"To get us in here," Castle said, watching her stand. He tried to himself and was relieved when he could, saying, "The door?"

"Won't open on this side," Beckett said, as there was no knob. She threw herself against it a few times, and stopped when it didn't budge, rubbing her shoulder. "I'm assuming it's locked, and that metal bar he put outside of it is added reinforcement."

"How do we get out?" Castle asked, watching as she used the light from her phone to feel around the edge of the door.

"Good question," Beckett said before she tensed up suddenly.

"What?" Castle asked, watching her.

"Julia… they're not going to know where we are," Beckett reminded him.

"Maybe they heard me shout your name," Castle said though he wasn't sure.

"We can't really take the chance," Beckett said. "And I get the feeling we're pretty much on our own."

"So do I," Castle admitted. He looked down at his phone, and tried to dial Alexis' number but since there were no bars, it wouldn't go through. "Damn it," he swore.  
"Did you think she was wrong?" Beckett asked, not looking at him as she was running a bare hand over the door.

"No, but there was a glimmer of hope for a second that she was," Castle said. "Just for this though. What are you doing?"

"Seeing if this wood might give… it's at least fifty years old, so…" Beckett began before she turned to him. "Do you think you can?"

"We can give it a try," Castle said, looking around them for a place to put his phone for the light.

"Just leave it," Beckett said. "We can work in the dark."

"We'll get out," Castle said quickly, able to tell from her tone that she was worried about getting back to Julia. "We'll alternate with our shoulders, and kicking it," he told her. "That'll bring back memories."

"Bad ones, ready?" Beckett asked. When Castle nodded she said, "I'll go, then you, we'll do that a few times because it hurts."

"Then let me since you already started," Castle told her quickly. "Okay, one, two, three…"

* * *

"I'm an idiot."

"That's a little harsh."

"I am, because of my phone, we're stuck here and Julia's probably worrying about us both. Not to mention Martha and Alexis," Beckett said, sounding angry.

"You acted on instinct," Castle said, wrapping his arm around her. They were sitting on the floor of the closet, having been trying off and on to get the door to at the very least start to weaken. "And I would've done the same…" he said slowly before trailing off. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"What?" Beckett asked, looking at him in the light from her phone. She was sitting on his lap, as that was all the space they had to sit.

"You're favoring your ribs; they're not broken are they?" Castle asked.

"No, it just hurts," Beckett said, sliding her hand out from under his. "I think the suspect was proficient in MMA."

"He wasn't a ninja?" Castle asked, having her take her arm out of her jacket sleeve.

"Not the way his leg was kicking," Beckett said, looking down as Castle raised her blouse. "What are you doing?"

"Sit up," Castle said. "I'm just checking," he told her seriously to her suspicious look.

Nodding, Beckett got onto her knees, holding up the fabric so it was out of the way. "What?" she asked when he sucked in a quick breath of air.

"A bruise in a line from here to here," Castle said, running his hand along it carefully. He felt her shiver and then quickly moved his hands so she could put the half of her jacket back on. "Let me get up," he said. "And I'll give it a shot again."

"And me?" Beckett asked.

"If I need to rest, you can take over," Castle said. He could sense the look she was giving him and said, "I'm thinking of that bruise."

"Fine," Beckett said shortly, looking at the time on her phone. "It's almost six thirty," she told him.

"I'll try my best," Castle promised before he started to hit against the door with his shoulder. He could only do it a few times, but the last time he could have sworn that the wood buckled slightly. Not wanting to get his fiancée's hopes up, he then began to kick, the closet so small he was almost fully pressing his back to the wall.

Hearing a cracking noise, Beckett said, "You've almost got it." And with that she began to kick with him though he tried to reach over to stop her.

Together they managed to get the wood to split jaggedly down the middle and Castle pushed up on the bar above to get it out of the way. Picking out the pieces, they burst out into the main room of the building, seeing that it was dusk and they could barely see around them, they ran to the door that they'd come in, but it and the two others on the west side were locked shut.

"Watch out," Castle said, having run back to the closet and picking up the bar. He ran to the window nearest the door she was standing in front of, and broke it before going to the next pane and breaking it. Pushing the metal bars over it with her help easily since it was so rusted, he climbed out first in the narrow space they'd managed to make, turning back to make sure she got out alright as well.

Running back up the path they'd come down on, Beckett and Castle didn't stop until they reached the chain back to the path, climbing over it. Along the incline of the path along the prison, they ran again and it wasn't until they reached the top near the lighthouse that they could see the ferry nearly to Fisherman's Wharf. Skidding to a stop, they shared a look, knowing they were too late; that was the last ferry from island.

* * *

"Julia! Come back here!" Alexis said, running after the little girl. She was able to catch her, and picked her up as Julia began to scream.

"I want my mommy! I want to get my mommy!" she was crying heavily as Alexis carried her back inside the café that was at Pier 33.

"I know, but we can't go," Alexis said, trying to soothe her as the shook her head to her grandmother's questioning glance.

"This is ridiculous," Martha said angrily, stroking Julia's hair as she stood from her chair. She took her from Alexis, and rocked her carefully since she knew the little girl wasn't going to be comforted easily.

"I want Castle back too and Mommy, I want them to come here," Julia whimpered.

Biting her lower lip at that, Alexis turned to go outside, looking out at Alcatraz which was dark except for the lighthouse. "Of all the nights not to do the night tour," she muttered to herself. She shook her head, remembering almost three hours earlier, when she and Julia had tried to find their parents, and hadn't seen them at all. She'd taken the little girl to the pier and with her grandmother's help, they tried to tell the employees about her dad and Beckett being missing, but none of them had believed her.

Sighing, she recalled the employees literally escorting them off the island, and leaving them with no choice but to wait in the hopes that her dad and Julia's mom would walk off the last ferry. But the ship had come in a half hour before, and there was no sign of them. Alexis turned around and pulled her phone out of her pocket, dialing her dad's number, but the call went on ringing until she got the message the number wasn't available. She sat down across from her grandmother who was sitting with Julia on her lap; the little girl still crying, but by then softly as her body shook. "I don't know what to do, and this café is going to close pretty soon," she said miserably.

"There's no one we can call? The police might believe us," Martha pointed out, wondering why neither of them had thought of that as soon as they'd gotten reception back in their phones off the Pier.

"You're right," Alexis said, sitting up. She reached into her purse and pulled out a card, dialing the number as fast as she could. "Hello, Detective Markowitz? This is Alexis Castle, I spoke to you yesterday. I have a problem, it's about my dad and Kate Beckett."

* * *

"Do you seriously carry those around with you all the time?" Castle was asking as he watched Beckett trying to break the lock to the main cell entrance.

"Yes, but these were actually still in my carry on bag," Beckett said, pushing her hair out of the way as the wind was still blowing, and she'd lost the band Alexis had given her while they were running up the side of the island.

"LA?" Castle asked. When she nodded, he heard a click and said, "Okay, they have to have something here we can contact the mainland with," as they walked inside. "Why don't we split up?"

"Split up?" Beckett asked, holding up her phone to use for a light.

"What, are you scared? It's haunted you know," Castle said, not missing her eyes rolling.

"I'm going to check here," Beckett said firmly. "Head down to where the showers are, there should be something there."

"And if there isn't?" Castle asked.

"We'll have to break into the gift shops," Beckett said.

Nodding, Castle set off ahead of her and then to the right, trying to remember the way down to the showers. He made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat, remembering that he had the map they'd been given with the tickets earlier. Pulling it out, he looked around and finally said, "That way… I hope," going over to the right again.

At the guard's offices, Beckett was coming up empty on finding anything there that could help them, not even a flashlight. She finally gave up after debating on breaking into the office that was closed off; since there was nothing she could see anyways; and she left. But instead of going right as Castle had, she went left and found herself at solitary confinement. "Damn it," she said once she realized where she was. She turned then, and was taking a step back towards the way she'd come when her head suddenly jerked back hard.

"C-" she started to stay as she turned, holding her hand to her hair which had been pulled. She was a little disconcerted when there was no one there, so she called out, "Castle, if this is you trying to recreate what we saw on that show I'm going to…" she began. But there was no sound or sign of anyone there until she could hear him yelling, but in the distance. Beckett let out an exasperated sigh, and hurried out of that corridor to head towards the showers as she told herself that she had likely caught her hair on something; and after watching the show _Ghost Adventures_ with Castle, it had likely influenced her mind to think it was paranormal, which had her angry as she was able to find the cafeteria and went down the stairs they'd gone down earlier.

"Hey, found a flashlight, we can use it to get down to the pier," Castle said when he saw Beckett enter the room.

"Where you yelling this whole time?" she asked.

"Yeah, I thought you might need some help to get to me, I had the map," Castle explained. "I checked, no phones or anything. I remember them talking by walkie-talkie while we were here."

"Me too, so we should just go down to the pier and hope Alexis was able to get someone to get us," Beckett said as they left out of the door into the prison.

"And they don't prosecute us for the damage we had to do," Castle said, blanching slightly.

"Yeah," Beckett said absently as they started down the incline. The path was a little slippery from the fog that had rolled in, and she slid slightly before Castle grabbed her hand. She said a quick thank you, but that was all either of them said before they reached the Sally Port.

"You know, this island isn't too bad but… at night it's definitely creepy," Castle said. "I'm going to stick with that word," he said quickly when she gave him a look.

"I know, I'll agree, especially with the fog rolling in," Beckett said, having been looking out ahead of them at the city but seeing nothing but the black of the water.

Down at the Visitor's Center after trying to open the lock but not having any success, Castle stood as close to the edge of the water as he could while Beckett sat where the ranger had talked to them earlier. He tried looking out for a ship, but finally gave up and walked back to his fiancée. "Are you okay?" he asked, walking faster when he saw she had her arms wrapped tightly around herself and was shaking slightly.

"Not really," Beckett said, clenching her teeth together in case they started to chatter. She let him make her stand, and was surprised when he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back. "You're not cold?" she asked as he seemed to be fine.

"Yeah, I brought a better coat," Castle simply answered.

"I didn't plan on a night visit to the island," Beckett said defensively before she sighed. "It's not really that cold."

"Oh no, it is, my hands are freezing right now," Castle said.

"At least I brought gloves," Beckett teased him, pressing her cheek against his and feeling it was as cold as hers.

"Should we run around?" Castle asked then as she stopped shaking, but knew she had to still be cold since his exposed skin was.

"Run around?" Beckett echoed, pulling back to look at him.

"Or build a fire," Castle shrugged.

"I think we'll be fine," Beckett said. She was going to continue, when there was the loud sound of a ship's horn, and they turned to see the lights of one getting nearer to the island. "SFPD," she commented, able to tell it was a police boat. She let out a short sigh of relief, and followed Castle to the dock, hoping Julia was alright on the mainland while they waited for the ship to turn around and pull up to be moored.

"Mr. Castle, Ms. Beckett?" an officer said after he'd tied up the boat. When they nodded he motioned for them to get on and said, "Your family will be happy to see you. Alright, we're cast off Joe, let's get back."

"Are you the responding officer?" Beckett yelled as the boat took off and the wind picked up.

"No, Detectives Markowitz and Neville are waiting for you at Pier 33," the officer yelled back. "Though I have to ask, how the hell did you get stuck on Alcatraz?"

"Long story," Castle said simply as he wrapped his arm around Beckett as the wind was bitter and they had no way to hide from it. He looked ahead at the lights of the city, and glanced back at the island, seeing out of the corner of his eye his fiancée was doing the same.

* * *

"Dad!" Alexis said, seeing him getting off the SFPD boat. She ran over to him and hugged him tightly saying, "I didn't think I was going to get anyone to look for you."

"Thank you for not giving up," Beckett said. "Julia?"

Alexis frowned and said, "She's been worried, about you both."

At that Beckett took off for the café at a run, feeling Castle following her.

"Julia, look," Martha said, hearing someone running and looking up to see that it was Beckett and Castle.

"Mommy!" Julia cried out on a sob when she turned and saw them. She jumped down with Martha's help and then ran as fast as she could before her mother scooped her up in her arms.

"Shh, it's okay, we're here sweetie," Beckett said, holding Julia to her as tightly as she could. She then heard someone walking up to them, and opened her eyes, seeing it was Markowitz and Neville. "Alexis called you," she said simply.

"She called me," Markowitz said.

"Okay, Julia, I need to go talk with them really quickly," Beckett said, trying to hand her to Alexis. She wasn't too surprised when Julia whimpered, trying to hold on to her, but she assured her saying, "We're staying here in the café, you'll be able to see me, I promise."

Julia finally let go of her mother and had her put her down before she wrapped her arms around Alexis, watching as Beckett and Castle headed to the back of the café together.

As quickly as they could, Castle and Beckett explained the circumstances of what had happened once the man in the sketch had taken her phone. The two detectives were quiet until Beckett finished.

"And we waited at the dock until you sent the boat. But the man was the same from the sketch," Castle said.

"How did you know?" Neville asked.

"His eyebrow drooped down like in the sketch, he only looked at us quickly, but it was enough to see that," Castle said. "He was wearing sunglasses though, and had a hoodie so besides that I can't really say he looked all that different from your sketch."

"We need to be a little more involved in this Erin," Beckett said suddenly. "Because apparently your killer has it in for us now."

"I don't understand why he would though," Markowitz said. "That sketch is all over the news now; the whole city has seen it."

"He might have seen you coming to our hotel last night," Castle said.

"And might have guessed that we're helping you because you were there for a while," Beckett finished. "This might have been a warning."

"Or else a sudden attempt to get us out of the way," Castle finished.

"You have a point, but I think it was a little more planned than that," Markowitz agreed. "Which means he has military experience since it was very little time between last night and you going to Alcatraz. We'll have to check out their surveillance," he said to Neville.

"You're going out there now?" Castle asked.

"Yes, but you two can stay here," Neville said. "In the city I mean, we have your statements. If we need anything else, you'll hear from us tomorrow," she then said.

"Are you sure you'll need us?" Beckett said as the detective was writing something down on a notepad.

"We'll call," Markowitz said.

"How has the case been going… or can we not ask," Beckett said, glancing at Castle.

"We have a suspect, a tentative one at the moment, the vic's husband, Grady Price, who's a doctor at Stockton General as well as a doctor at the ME's office," Markowitz said. "He's supposed to be in LA for a conference, but-"

"He could have had an accomplice, the guy in the sketch," Castle interrupted.

"We've tried to contact him, but he wasn't at his hotel down in LA," Neville said absently, still writing. "He was already at LAX and we weren't unable to catch him before his flight."

"Which is pretty short," Beckett said. "He's in the wind?"

"Pretty much, we've set up a BOLO and his apartment is under surveillance, but he's pretty smart, and there are places to hide here if you're a native and know them," Markowitz said before he saw the officer from the boat in the doorway out to the pier. "Alright, we're set here, unless you have anything on your end."

"No, we made a phone call and searched, but nothing yet," Castle said.

"Right, we'll see you tomorrow then if we need you to assist us," Neville said.

"Is this going to be in the news?" Beckett then asked.

"We'll keep this discreet as well, but you need to go before the media finds out and descends on us," Markowitz said, walking away to speak on his walkie-talkie. Before he could get too far though, he turned back to them and asked, "Do you have any injuries?"

"Sh-" Castle began.

"We're fine, we just want to head back to our hotel," Beckett said quickly. "I didn't realize that you had interesting cases yourself," she told her friend.

"They're not really, but this one takes the cake I will admit," Neville said, closing her notepad. "I better head out to the boat. You're both okay though?"

"Fine, just glad that's over. I'm sure we'll see you tomorrow Erin," Beckett said before the detective nodded to them both and left.

"Alright," Markowitz said, walking back to them. "An officer's got a taxi out there, so you can go."

"Thanks," Castle said quickly before he picked up Julia who'd run to him and was hugging him tightly. He urged his mother and Alexis outside to the van that was waiting at the curb, and once he and Beckett were in the back he let out a deep sigh saying, "I've never been so happy to be off a boat as I am right now."

"I don't blame you," Beckett said, smiling at Julia as her daughter looked over her shoulder at her. She reached over and caressed the little girl's cheek, hoping that would be enough for the moment to assure her they were okay.

* * *

"I don't want to sleep," Julia whined, looking over Castle's shoulder at her mother.

"Believe me," he commented as he laid her down in the bed. "It's not all that fun staying up all night."

"It's not?" Julia sighed.

"He's right," Beckett said simply, covering her. "But for now, why don't you… Julia," she said with a sigh as her daughter climbed out from under the covers and went to Castle.

"Your mom's right, you really need to get to bed," he said as he picked her up when she stood on the bed in front of him.

"No, what if you and Mommy go away?" Julia whispered.

"We told you already that was an accident sweetie," Beckett said, looking at the doorway to the room and seeing that Martha and Alexis were watching. "It won't happen again."

"What she said," Castle told Julia seriously when she pulled back to look at him. He smiled when she sighed deeply and he kissed her cheek before he set her back on the bed.

"I'm not sleepy," Julia then said stubbornly as she drew her arms out from under the covers.

"Then how about a story," Alexis said quickly. She smiled when her father and Beckett looked at her and she walked over to her bag on the dresser. "I have a reading assignment in my Hindu Mythology class over the break, so I have this with me," she said as she withdrew a book from the bag.

"What is it?" Julia asked interestedly.

"I'll tell you after your mom and Dad say goodnight to you," Alexis promised.

"Wait," Castle said before Julia could get up. He went to her and hugged her, kissing her cheek. "Goodnight Julia, love you."

Smiling slightly as her daughter nodded in response before kissing his cheek, Beckett then leaned down and hugged her tightly. "We're okay sweetie, and we'll be here tomorrow to have breakfast with you," she told her.

"Like we had dinner?" Julia asked.

"Exactly," Beckett said. "So we'll see you in the morning for that." She pulled back so Julia could lie back down, and then kissed her on the forehead tenderly before she shared a quick kiss with her. "Sweet dreams Julia, I love you," she told her as she stroked her hair away from her forehead.

"Night Mommy, I love you too," Julia sighed before she looked at Alexis expectantly.

"Okay, this is a story about Shiva," the young woman quickly said.

"George sings his name," Julia said.

"Yeah, this is about him and his wife the goddess Parvati," Alexis explained.

"Is it a good idea to tell her that?" Castle said as his daughter opened the book.

"I've read the story already Dad, it'll be fine," Alexis said simply.

Glancing at his fiancée and seeing she didn't seem to be concerned, Castle didn't say anything else, sitting behind Beckett on the end of the bed as Alexis began to read.

Feeling his hand on her side, Beckett gently took it, squeezing it in an unspoken statement that she was fine. She watched Julia then as the little girl's eyes slowly closed, and then finally stayed closed as she slept. She touched the back of Alexis' arm to get her attention, and as Castle's daughter was leaving, got up and went to Julia, leaning down to kiss her forehead. She smiled as he did the same, a relatively new thing he'd begun to do whenever they went to check on Julia together at night. "Interesting story," she said once the door was closed behind them and they could see Martha and Alexis were on the couch where they'd watched TV with Julia earlier.

"I think we're going to head back to our room," Castle said.

"Will we see you tomorrow?" Martha asked as she and Alexis turned to look at them.

"You will, I'm just not sure what exactly what we're going to be doing," Beckett said as Castle looked at her to answer that. "What was the plan for tomorrow?"

"The Exploratorium so far," Alexis said. "But if you're serious about this case, we can take her."

Breathing out slightly, Beckett nodded and said, "I'm afraid if we go out something worse is going to happen and I'd prefer Julia not to be with us."

"Not after what happened today," Castle said. "You don't mind?"

"No, no, solve this case, quickly, and we'll enjoy the rest of the vacation together as we'd planned," Martha said.

"Thank you Mother, and we will be here for breakfast, we weren't kidding about that," Castle said.

"For now, how about we watch GA head to Alcatraz?" Alexis asked.

"I think I'll pass," Beckett said, smiling slightly.

"Me too, but have fun seeing where we just were," Castle said. "Even though we didn't experience a thing."

"It was much better that way," Martha said wryly. "I didn't need a spirit following me around that prison."

After saying goodnight to them, Beckett stepped out into the hall first and as they were walking down to their suite asked, "Do you feel drained at all?"

"Drained?" Castle asked.

"I feel exhausted suddenly," Beckett said.

"We could use something warm to drink and sleep," Castle said, wrapping his arm around her. "But are you okay?"

"Fine," Beckett said shortly as she waited for him to open their door. "Surprised you didn't want to stay longer."

"We've seen it already," Castle said simply. "Though that would have been fun."

Shaking her head as she walked into the suite, Beckett remembered again a couple weeks before when she'd been with Castle watching the show that had taken place at Alcatraz. She still wasn't sure how he'd been able to convince her to watch it, but she had, and remembering it made her feel a little uneasy. Trying to push it out of her mind as she set her coat next to the door, she found she couldn't. So she walked over to the windows looking out onto Union Square, trying to focus on the people outside as she still recalled that night.

* * *

_"This is going to be great," Castle said, walking back to sit on the armchair next to Beckett. "Just, you know, don't pass judgment because I know what you think about all this already. Enjoy the time they spend at Alcatraz before lockdown."_

_"You said Alexis likes this show?" Beckett asked as the opening for Ghost Adventures was playing._

_"She loves it," Castle said._

_"Zak?" Beckett guessed._

_"No, Nick, you might see why as we start," Castle pointed out since the opening was over._

_Though she wasn't looking forward to what he'd called lockdown, Beckett found herself enjoying the scenery that the three men filmed on the island, and the views of San Francisco. She also was impressed by the short history they gave about the island, and told Castle as he paused to refill their wine._

_"Yeah, that's why this show isn't so bad, they look at the background as well as the haunting… alleged hauntings," Castle said quickly to her look. "Please hold all comments until the end of the show."_

_"I almost thought you were going to say ride," Beckett said in amusement._

_"Almost did," Castle said. "Oh, you should check out what happens in solitary confinement to Nick," he told her before he started the episode again._

_"I think I can see now why Alexis likes him," Beckett commented._

_"Should I be jealous?" Castle asked, one eyebrow raised. He didn't get a verbal response to that though, instead she leaned over and kissed him on the lips quickly. "Thank you," he said before they sat back again to continue watching. "Feel free to do that again."_

_"After, if I'm not too annoyed discussing this with you," Beckett said wryly. Looking up at the screen, she saw that the investigator named Nick was at solitary confinement alone, inside one of the cells. She couldn't help but sigh at the slight dramatics the man had, but when he stepped out of the cell she was a little startled to see his shirt visibly being pulled and he jerked back slightly._

_"Well?" Castle asked, unable to hide his eagerness._

_"That… that could easily be done with a fishing line I'm sure," Beckett said._

_"I don't think so, that static camera's looking at him from the floor up, you'd be able to see the line somewhere," Castle said defensively. "In fact…" and he played the episode so she could see them debunking the event as being staged or the shirt being caught on something. "Just the fact that it was outside the cell was pretty interesting, but maybe they're free to roam around now they're dead," he mused._

_Beckett sighed, and finally said, "I'll admit that's more compelling, but I just don't know Castle."_

_Shaking his head though he wasn't mad at her comment, he reached over to take her hand as they watched the rest of the episode which ended with the three men on the north part of the island getting a shadow figure. "Well?" he asked again after he'd stopped the episode once it'd ended._

_"I'll give you this Castle; they have an interesting method of…'investigation,'" Beckett said, putting the word in air quotes. "And the best they got was probably that shirt being pulled. But even then, I just don't see this coming from ghosts, or apparitions, or whatever you want to call it. I'm sorry," she said quickly when he sighed and shook his head. "There's likely an explanation, you never know they could have set it up."_

_"There's so many things they've gotten I want to show you, see how you can explain it. Wait, let's watch the movie they made before the show started, they were in the basement of this old hotel, and a brick was thrown in front of them," Castle said, speaking quickly. "And they got a physicist to confirm there were no wires or anything to make it fly. And then the same movie, they got a clear full body apparition walking across a room in an old saloon."_

_"Another night," Beckett said, putting her hand on his arm to stop him._

_About to protest that, Castle guessed she might be bored, so he sighed and nodded saying, "So what do we watch now?"_

_Standing, Beckett stood and walked to him, sitting on his lap saying, "I think I'm in the mood for Vertigo if we're going for a San Francisco theme tonight."_

_"Me too," Castle said, wrapping his arm around her._

_"But first…" Beckett began._

_"First?" Castle asked before she leaned over and kissed him hard._

_Beckett nearly smiled when Castle immediately recovered, and kissed her back fervently as the movie was forgotten for the moment, as was their disagreement. And she had the idea that he didn't mind that as he slid his hands over her waist, holding her close._

* * *

"Hey," Castle said, feeling Beckett jerk slightly in his arms. "Sorry," he said quickly. "I was wondering what had you looking outside."

"Nothing, I was just thinking," Beckett said, turning to face him. "I'm really starting to regret saying we'd help with the case."

"So am I," Castle said with a slight nod. "But now we've apparently gotten the attention of the killer, we need to keep going."

"And fast because I don't want to waste this vacation working or afraid to be with my daughter," Beckett said.

"I agree with you completely, but, we have until tomorrow," Castle said slowly, holding her tighter to him. He kissed her then before she could say anything, and was about to deepen it when she pulled away.

"I'm sorry Castle, I just don't feel up to it," Beckett said with a sigh. "I'm really tired which is starting to worry me."

"The fight you had with the suspect? Were you-" Castle began to say before they heard his phone ring.

"Who is it?" Beckett asked.

"It was Ryan, and that was… four hours ago, wow, the reception really messed up my phone," Castle said, shaking his head. "It's a message," he said, playing it.

"Castle, it's Ryan, Espo and I are still case-less so we looked into the vic from San Francisco. Barbara Price actually was here in the city about six months ago. Dug into ATMs for her bank she has and managed to get a withdrawal for the exact amount of money for a procedure at the St. Vincent Hospital which is near the ATM she used. Called them and found out it was for an abortion, but couldn't confirm that the vic went there, but the guy I talked to pretty much insinuated it. She also had a friend there I talked to, she wouldn't confirm the abortion either, but she did mention that the vic's been having an affair with a co-worker and that it almost sounded like she was having it with more than one person. That's all we could get over here, so I think you're going to have to work from San Francisco for now. If you need to talk about that information though, just call either one of us. And if we don't hear from you, have fun, you'll have to let us know how it is in that part of California and if you're getting ideas for another Nikki Heat book while you're out there," Ryan said quickly before the message ended.

"Her husband could have found out about the abortion," Beckett said.

"Since she went to New York to do it," Castle said. "And he hires someone, maybe a friend, or a colleague from the ME's office."

"And to pay her back he has her body dumped in public, maybe there's something about Union Square that holds special meaning for them," Beckett said.

"We'll have to tell Markowitz and Neville in the morning," Castle said slowly. "But it does sound plausible."

"Six months is enough time to get everything planned out," Beckett said with a nod. "Hopefully they were able to look into the husband more."

"I wonder why Ryan and Esposito didn't," Castle said when there was a sudden beeping noise. "Water's ready," he said then, turning to the wet bar the suite had.

"Water?" Beckett asked.

"For tea, I figured for the warmth, that boat ride was freezing," Castle said. "And also, you said you felt drained."

"I feel a little better now," Beckett said. "But could use the sleep." She took the mug he handed her with a thank you and then said, "I feel like we should have a murder board though, if we're sticking around the hotel until we're called tomorrow."

"I really wish we could go out with them, it looks like a lot of fun at that place; according to the book," Castle said.

"It's actually wrong you know," Beckett said with a little smile. At his questioning look she said, "They moved it to Pier… a pier, I can't remember which one, I believe it was last year."

"How do you know that?" Castle asked.

"I looked at the site after seeing it in the book," Beckett said simply. "But they didn't update it in the version of the book we have yet."

"Oh, well, it should be interesting to see for them," Castle said, following her into the bedroom. "Kate," he then said after they were quiet for a while.

"Yeah?" Beckett said, looking up at him from where she was grabbing her pajamas to change. "Oh, it's fine, but I'm assuming you won't take my word for it until you see it?" she asked, a slight smirk turning up the corner of her mouth.

"Not really," Castle said, watching as she took off her blouse and then turned to him. "You're sure it doesn't hurt?" he asked, running his palm over the bruised line of skin.

"No," Beckett hissed. "I wish you wouldn't do that," she said when he looked up at her questioningly.

"I forgot," Castle said. When he could feel her glare on him he then said, "Okay, I wanted to, but it didn't hurt."

"No," Beckett finally admitted. "But if you want to get some sleep, change, because that's what I'll be doing."

Castle knew she was serious, and he could tell from the slight strain in her voice that she was tired. So he got changed quickly, and then sat on the bed once he had finished, waiting for her.

"I am sorry," Beckett said as she walked out of the bathroom to see him sitting on the edge, looking at her. "That's two nights in a row isn't it?"

"It is, but I think I can manage to make it," Castle said, watching her get up on the bed next to him, going to her side before he followed her.

"To tomorrow morning?" Beckett asked.

"Yes," Castle said, seeing that she was sincere.

"Good, because that's as long as I can wait," Beckett said, kissing him hard once she'd finished speaking.

Pulling her to him tightly, Castle continued the kiss, though it became more than one as they had to breathe. Beckett finally stopped them, and they managed to somehow settle down enough to try to fall asleep. Despite working themselves up with their more passionate kisses, they were soon asleep with Castle holding Beckett to him so her back was to his chest once they were lying down comfortably. The exhaustion of everything that had happened that day helping them as much as the fatigue from travel the night before had done.


	5. He Waits Behind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Maxwell's Silver Hammer by The Beatles, from their album Abbey Road.

Walking up to the bed, Beckett sat down on the edge next to Castle and set the mugs in her hands down on the nightstand. Once her hands were free she leaned over and brushed her lips carefully against his. She couldn't help but smile at the slight groan he gave at that, and she did it again before she could feel him moving. "Morning," she said, smiling still as he opened his eyes.

"Wow, you're looking completely better," Castle said as soon as he focused on her.

"Thank you, I feel a lot better," Beckett said, picking up the mugs again as he sat up. "For you," she said, handing him one.

"Hmm, what time is it?" Castle asked, trying to look at the clock that was on her nightstand.

"Eight, or almost that," Beckett said. She shrugged at Castle's surprised glance and then said, "I think it's the time difference still. But anyways, are you awake?"

"Slightly more, why?" Castle asked.

"I was thinking while the coffee was getting ready, and I retract my decision from last night," Beckett said.

"About going with them to the Exploratorium," Castle stated. When she nodded he said, "I was thinking about that too as we left, it seemed kind of ridiculous to hide. I know you don't have a weapon, but still, at a tourist spot?"

"We were at a tourist spot yesterday. And a really busy one despite it being the end of March," Beckett reminded him. "But, if we go, no letting ourselves get lured away from people. Not even for your phone."

"Or yours," Castle pointed out. He leaned over to set down his mug and wrapped his hand around her, resting it on the small of her back. "There's something I wanted to ask you, what happened to you last night?"

"What do you mean?" Beckett asked, using putting her mug down so he wouldn't see her expression.

"You were really… strange, that decision not to go to out today was a little weird," Castle commented. He studied her face and then gasped, sitting up straight saying, "You experienced something didn't you?" She was about to speak when he quickly plunged on telling her, "It has to be, you kept saying you were drained, that happens a lot with an experience like that. And when you reached me in the showers you were asking where I was. Also, you seemed like you were angry. So what happened? Tell me."

Beckett had her nose wrinkled slightly that he'd been able to guess, trying to decide if she'd be able to deflect or deny it, but finally she said, "Fine, but it wasn't an experience, it just startled me."

"Okay, just tell me," Castle said, knowing if he pushed too hard she was going to get angry again. "We'll decide if it's paranormal or just me being a geek about the show we watched."

"When I left the control room I made a wrong turn, and turning around to go back the way you'd gone to the showers, I felt something get caught on my hair, and it pulled me back," Beckett said firmly, daring him with her look to have him contradict that.

"If that's the case," Castle said, moving his hand from her back to the back of her head. "Then how hard did… whatever it was, pull?"

"Enough to make my head jerk back," Beckett said simply. "And that's why it's something that was sticking out from the cellblock or something hanging down in the way."

"Then you would have felt it in front of your head," Castle pointed out. At her scoffing sound, he quickly said, "Okay, where were you standing exactly?"

"I don't know, it was dark, the middle of the corridor," Beckett said before she realized what she'd just said. "Castle-"

"So how could it have been anything but… what I'm thinking it was," Castle said. "And don't say the wind because as strong as it was it wasn't that; the windows were covered." He was a little surprised when Beckett didn't try to respond to that, so he told her, "I know you're trying to debunk it, but look at how you were after you came down to the showers. Tired, extremely cold, angry. All signs you've experienced the paranormal."

"Okay, since I get the feeling we'll end up talking about this for a long time," Beckett said carefully after she'd thought about what he'd said. "I'll give you this; I can't debunk it, as you put it, because I couldn't see a thing in the corridor. So I'll say that it could possibly have been a spirit, but that I am going to still doubt it because I have no intangible proof that it was one. It's more I have reason to believe it wasn't."

"Which is what I expect, but if you entertain the thought…" Castle said, sliding his fingers through her hair carefully.

"I did, but I'm wondering if it wasn't because of that episode we watched," Beckett said with a slight smile as his touch was sending a short thrill through her body.

"Like a placebo?" Castle suggested. When Beckett nodded he couldn't help laughing at that and leaned over, kissing her lightly on the lips. "Only you would liken a ghost to a placebo," he said when they'd pulled apart. "You can be pretty stubborn."

"Very," was all that Beckett said. She closed the space between them, kissing him harder than he'd done. She felt his hands sliding around her, and she let him pull her onto his lap almost as soon as they had started.

Sliding his hands around her, Castle was about to slip them under her shirt when he recalled the day before and he pulled away.

"What?" Beckett asked, breathing a little hard.

"Stand up," Castle said, turning to put his legs over the side of the bed. He then took her shirt off of her, and ran his hand over her ribs which were lightly bruised. "I thought it would be a lot worse," he told her, looking up at her.

"I know, I checked it out earlier. But did you really have to take off my shirt?" Beckett asked, looking down at him.

"No, but, it doesn't hurt," Castle said, leaning over. He proceeded to kiss her skin, feeling it and her moving in response almost immediately.

Breathing out heavily as he didn't stop for a while, Beckett was about to reach down to make him when he moved. She felt his lips sliding up to her breast, and he suddenly bit her; not enough to hurt; right below the curve of it above one of her ribs. She let out a moan of desire at the sudden change from gentle to rough, and she said, "I hate when you do that," as his hand was caressing her bruise almost tenderly.

"I love doing that," Castle teased her. He then stood, and was about to slide his hands under her pants to get them off when she stopped him. Not too surprised, he helped her with his shirt, before he let himself go back to what he'd been about to do, eager when she didn't try to stop him.

Not really surprised when he grabbed her to hold her in place once their clothes had been discarded to the floor, Beckett took his kiss that time with a slight amount of annoyance. She knew that he was trying to make her guess what exactly he was going to do once they began to make love. And as she had said, she hated that, as it made her a little more vulnerable to him. But she knew that she would never ask him to stop doing that, and she got on the bed once they had parted with him following her closely as he had his hand on her waist. She wrapped her arms around him as soon as she was laying in the middle, pulling him down to her to try and goad him into starting.

Knowing what she was trying to do then, Castle moved slightly and brushed his lips against her bruise, before he slid over to her stomach and then down to the apex of her legs. He touched them to have her spread them, and then proceeded to kiss and lightly suck on the inside of her thighs as he could hear her response to that. Finally he couldn't take his own teasing of her anymore, and he moved up her body, but gave it one final shot, kissing his way up her so slowly that he wasn't surprised she wasn't moving to get on top of him and end the wait. But she was still, a little rigid under him, until he entered her, carefully, then she seemed to exhale and relax at the same time she wrapped her right leg around him tightly.

Pulling Castle to her lips, Beckett felt him brushing his across her before he moved down to her neck, kissing her there a few times before he continued further. She bit her lower lip as he brushed across her chest, getting close to her breasts but not quite reaching them. She knew that time it wasn't to tease her; it was more to tease himself. Placing her hand on the back of his head, she slid her fingers through his hair, his groan vibrating against her skin. Feeling his hand on her leg that wasn't around him, she took a moment to realize what he wanted, before she quickly wrapped that leg around his. She sucked in a heavy breath of air when he stopped, abruptly, and she said, "You can't-"

Cutting her off with a kiss, Castle soon started to move again, and he kept that up for as long as he could until they needed to breathe. Moving down again, that time he allowed himself to take her right nipple, feeling her grasping at the back of his head as he carefully suckled at her. He moved to her other mound, and groaned when her legs were suddenly both around him, and she was trying to move a lot faster. Instead of trying to deter her somehow from that, he followed, knowing if he pushed her she was going to take control. Though the idea was incredibly appealing, he wanted that time to take charge, so he gave her what she wanted willingly, getting a lot in return.

By the time he moved up to her face, Beckett had her head turned to the side, and she almost jumped when he kissed her jaw, tracing it down to her chin and to her neck. She could feel his hand on her side, stroking her skin, and she felt her body tensing up in response to the sensation. They weren't exactly being rough, but they'd been unable to be together for over a week, and she found herself being a little more sensitive to what he was doing to her. His fingers were long, because they became trails of fire that blended into one and spread through her. She pressed her lips to his cheek that he'd had pressed against hers, and took his kiss. She moaned as his tongue was careful slipping into her mouth, and ran her hands from his shoulders to his back, raking her nails carefully along it.

Jumping against her when he felt Beckett's fingers, Castle groaned at the same time that she had as the action made him sink deeper inside her. But the sounds were muffled by their mouths joined together, and he pulled away to breathe before he began to speak. "You… wanted this," he was able to get out, not sure how though as he was trying to control himself so he wouldn't end up taking her harder than he thought she deserved at that moment. He glanced down her body, his eyes catching her bruise, and he was able to make himself go back to a more leisurely thrust that he'd wanted to start out with but hadn't really been able to calm himself down enough to attain.

Her breath slightly relaxing when he'd slowed down, Beckett turned her head and pressed a kiss to his cheek before taking his lower lip with her teeth. She got what she wanted then as soon as she'd done that, and he was moving harder. Working to both nibble at his lip and also match his rhythm, she noticed that he'd suddenly changed the angle of his hips, and she pulled away from him, a little startled at the result of that. It felt as if there was a white hot concentration directly between her legs, a sensation that traveled through her body until she was almost dizzy. She whispered his name, a little startled when he shuddered against her, and she spoke to him again, running her tongue along his lobe when she'd finished.

Breathing heavily in response as he had to hold himself back, Castle turned his head and took her lips with his. He knew his kiss was bruising; could feel it in his lips; and he wanted to taunt her back a little though he'd begun everything doing the same to her. He started to lose control of his rhythm, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Beckett didn't really care as she was grabbing at him almost frantically. He was shuddering again every time she touched him in a different place, her touch warm and pleasurable until he finally pulled away from her lips, burying his face into her neck and yelling something he hoped at the very least was her name.

Losing her own struggle with her body that had been going on for a while by then, Beckett let out a few moans and gasps until she slumped back on the bed; Castle doing the same with her. She breathed deeply to try and get back to normal, when he raised himself up above her. "It's to be expected," she said, unable to help the smile that spread across her face as she raised her arms and put them on the pillow on either side of her head. "Almost two weeks?"

"Good point," Castle conceded. "I just wish you'd let me continue as I was."

"Boring," Beckett snorted. She laughed shortly when he lightly pinched her side, and pushed his hand away. "But I got you back for the way you started things."

"Which I richly deserved, feel free to punish me again," Castle said before he leaned down and started to kiss her right shoulder and collarbone. Before he could really get into it though, there was the sharp burst of sound from her phone, and they both turned to it on her nightstand. "Almost forgot this wasn't a trip for just us," he commented as he carefully got off of Beckett so she could turn off her alarm.

"No, but it'll be fun to get out of this hotel room," she said, looking quickly at her e-mails though she wasn't answering any until they got back to NYC.

"We could still stay in," Castle said enticingly, running his hand over her hip.

"I know, but I don't want to do that to them," Beckett said, nodding in the direction of the other suite. "But maybe tonight we won't be so tired."

"Maybe," Castle said simply. He sat up then, grabbing Beckett's hand before she could leave the bed, and turned her to him, so they could kiss.

"Hmm, tempting, but later. Maybe," Beckett said once they'd parted. She kissed his cheek and then went to the closet, seeing him out of the corner of her eye lying back on the bed in what she knew was frustration. She smiled to herself, and then turned her attention to her blouses in front of her to get her mind off him lying very enticingly on the bed before she forgot what they had decided to do that day instead of staying in.

* * *

"Wind again," Castle said as another gust hit them square in the face as they were walking from the Ferry Building where his daughter had taken them to look around.

"I know, you have to get used to it though," Alexis said. "But at least it was warm there."

"That was pretty nice," Beckett commented. "I wasn't expecting so many shops in there."

"I know, Diana and I got some stuff for dinner there once, I cooked for her parents that night to thank them," Alexis said. "It was a lot of fun." They were quiet for a while and she glanced ahead to her grandmother and Julia before she said, "My dad said you had something to tell me about."

"I thought she should know at least, they were asking me if you were okay last night," Castle said defensively when his fiancée glared at him.

"Okay, well, apparently your dad thinks I had a paranormal experience last night in Alcatraz," Beckett said with a sigh, knowing that at least Alexis wouldn't be as over the top as Castle about it.

"Are you okay?" the young woman asked in concern.

"Oh, I'm fine now, but he thinks the… spirit drained my energy to pull my hair," Beckett said, sighing as she finished.

"That would explain how you were last night," Alexis said with a nod. "I'm just glad they didn't attempt a possession. Although that probably wouldn't have worked since you would have fought believing it," she said, smiling at her dad as Beckett rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine though," Beckett said to them both. "Now, I'd like to focus on this place," she commented as they'd reached Pier 15 where the Exploratorium was.

"I'm really glad you're coming," Alexis said. "Dad, you're going to love it, and Julia's going to love it too."

Nodding, Beckett turned to Castle when his daughter went to catch up with Martha and Julia, and said, "Maybe we can forget about the case. Enjoy today."

"I'm a little surprised you're saying that," Castle said, squeezing her hand that he was holding.

"I know, but if Julia wasn't with us I'd try to get more involved, but considering the little we've been able to get…" Beckett said.

"At least we managed to contact that friend of the vic's," Castle reminded her. "We got lucky there."

"Yes, she did give us some good information," Beckett admitted. "I'm a little surprised that she talked so much about how many affairs the vic had. But I get the feeling she was jealous."

"I got that too, she wanted to be another affair of the vic's… a little weird," Castle said. "Unless the vic had that kind of attraction."

"You didn't think so from her picture?" Beckett asked, reminding him of the one they'd seen when Markowitz and Neville had come to their suite.

"Did you?" Castle asked, looking startled.

"No," Beckett said, rolling her eyes. "But if anything, I think she was like Rasputin was reported to be."

"Hypnotic eyes? Yeah, I can see that happening," Castle said. "But I'm still sticking to my theory that I had before."

"That she was killed by her husband and a lover because she became pregnant by another lover," Beckett said. "It could have been a woman though."

"True," Castle said. "We'll follow, go ahead inside," he called to his mother and daughter who were waiting with Julia at the entrance. "She was pretty slight, barely a hundred pounds, so that's a possibility."

"And since that's all we know at this moment, we should head inside," Beckett said, since they were still waiting to see if the two detectives needed their help at all.

"Right, but what do you want to bet they'll want us along with them if they get that warrant for that apartment the husband has? The love nest," Castle said as they headed to the entrance.

"Keep calling it that and I will punch you," Beckett said as they went inside.

"Oh, sure it wasn't an oppression that happened last night? You're so angry," Castle teased her. He grunted when she punched him in the sternum; not hard enough to hurt; and he breathed out saying, "Alright, the apartment."

"Thank you," Beckett said before they joined the others at the wall in the lobby that was a timeline of the history of the bay. "Hey, let's go on inside," she said, leaning down when she reached her daughter, kissing her cheek. "So we can do as much as possible, Alexis said there's a lot of stuff here."

"So you weren't kidding," Castle was saying once they had paid admission and were walking into the first section. "A lot of sections. Why did you come here?"

"There was an exhibit on mental health that ended in January, my professor had us come check it out," Alexis said. "Diana came with me and we went through this whole place."

"So you're our guide I believe," Martha said.

"I don't think so, I think she is," Alexis said, smiling as Julia ran to the first experiment.

Following after her daughter, Beckett watched the little girl walk up to a TV screen where two people were playing Pac-man. She smiled as she watched Julia's face screwed up in concentration and said, "Do you want to play?"

"No, do you?" Julia asked, leaning against her mother as she wrapped her arms around her tightly.

"Actually, the three of us can play," Alexis said. She smiled when her dad and Beckett looked at her and said, "A guy Diana thought was cute offered to assist us. It's more to see if you can work as a team than anything else."

"Should we?" Castle asked. "I'll go ahead and yell out commands-"

"You better work the controls, Beckett said, shaking her head. "You're sure you don't want to play sweetie?" she asked Julia, seeing the little girl was watching them.

Shaking her head, Julia stood next to Alexis, crying out encouragements to them as they played the game together, and she clapped her hands when they finished the level. "You won!" she said happily.

"It wasn't too hard, I don't know how many times I've played that game," Castle said, shaking his head. He picked Julia up then, taking her to the next experiment.

Making their way to the Central Gallery, Alexis saw an experiment that she remembered from her previous visit, and she grabbed Beckett's arm to whisper, "How much do you want to bet that my dad will run or stomp across that?"

Shaking her head, Beckett said, "I would be agreeing with you; as soon as I saw that I knew he'd do that."

"Even I did," Martha said, coming up behind them. "But Julia should enjoy it."

"She will," Alexis said, going over to the gravel path. "Do you know what to do?" she asked the little girl who was waiting with Castle.

"No," Julia said seriously.

"You walk across as quietly as you can," Alexis told her.

"Try and see if you can, and this will measure how loud you are," Castle said, pointing to a meter that measured sound. "Go ahead," he urged her. "Just remember, quietly. Let's see which one of us can be the quietest."

"Well it's not going to be you," Beckett said jokingly as she'd joined them by then.

"Hey… you have a point," Castle said with a smile. "Try it out Julia," he then urged the little girl who was listening to them.

Stepping out on the gravel, Julia paused when she heard the crunch of the stones under her feet and saw the meter go up. She then tiptoed across it, trying to go as slowly as possible. "Did I do good?" she asked at the other end of the path.

"Do you think you did?" Beckett asked.

"Did it sound like you did?" Alexis said.

"Yeah," Julia said, before she ran back down the path to them.

"Whoa, look at that meter go," Castle said as his daughter and Beckett laughed. "Are you going to go again?"

"No, you go now," Julia said. "With me."

"Oh, of course," Castle said before he took her hand and they went across. "See, I did not stomp my way across," he said when they were on the other side.

"So you heard that," Beckett said wryly.

"Of course, you were right behind us," Castle said, pretending to be exasperated.

Shaking her head, Beckett walked across at her daughter's urging and she turned to watch Alexis. "I think we have a winner," she commented as they headed over to the next experiment.

"Of course, the littlest one of us here," Martha said.

"Me?" Julia asked with a shy smile.

"You were pretty good," Alexis said. "Now come on, let's check out the shadow box, you're going to love it," she said, taking Julia's hand and pulling her towards the small room where a flash of light suddenly went off. "And we can do something like the Beatles did."

Peering into the room a little uncertainly, Julia watched as some kids inside were posing against one wall, and the flash went off again. She looked on in shock as they moved away, and their shadows were left on the wall. "We can do that?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah, we can jump up like the Beatles are in that one picture," Alexis said. "Dad can take a picture," she said, looking at him.

"I'll do that," Beckett said quickly, taking her camera from her pocket. "Go ahead."

Standing against the wall together as Castle and Beckett were watching from the opposite wall, they waited for the warning sound for when the flash would go off, and just before it did, Alexis and Julia jumped up together.

Taking the picture once the two had moved, Beckett looked down at the screen and laughed slightly at the image of the two shadows in mid-air on the wall. "It came out great," she told the two as she handed the camera to her daughter.

"You have to send that picture to me," Alexis said with a laugh as she looked at the picture as well. "That came out really good, you must have really put some muscle in that jump," she said to Julia.

"Yeah, what do we do now?" she asked.

"This way," Alexis said, taking them over to another room. "This is going to be great, there's no color here."

"It's in black and white?" Castle asked as they stepped through after his mother rejoined them from where she'd been waiting outside the room.

"No, sepia toned, but it's pretty amazing, no color besides that, at all," Alexis said.

"Won't that make us all look dull?" Martha asked.

"It makes us the same," Julia said, giggling as she was first to step into the room, and looked down at her arms which instead of being covered with the blue long sleeved shirt she was wearing, were a dull brown color. "Look Mommy!" she cried. "You have the same colors too."

"I know, go stand next to the gumball machine so I can get a picture of you," Beckett said.

"I'm so glad we decided to come," Castle said to his mother as he was watching Beckett, Julia and Alexis using flashlights provided in the room to reveal colors again and taking more pictures.

"So am I, I really don't think Julia would have liked being apart from her mother," Martha said. "Oh, and you of course too, she was worried about you last night."

"Really?" Castle asked. When she nodded he said, "I'm glad to hear that, in a way. Hey, having fun?"

"Yeah, come and see the colors and the not colors," Julia said; having run up to them. She took Castle's hand and pulled him over to her mother and Alexis, hopping as she did so in joy.

Smiling slightly at that, Castle could believe what his mother had said, and it meant a lot to him, knowing that the little girl who would become his daughter one day thought of him as much as her mother. Squeezing her hand, he picked her up to help allow her to shine the flashlight she then held so Alexis could take a picture of them. He couldn't help it, and kissed her cheek to her giggle before he glanced at Beckett, seeing her slight smile at them both which he quickly returned.

* * *

"This is it," Alexis said eagerly to the others. "I've been waiting to get you out here Jules, to see what you think."

"Is it fog?" Julia asked in surprise as they reached the bridge that was in between Piers 15 and 17.

"Not real fog, it's being made, but isn't it pretty?" Alexis asked.

"It is," Beckett said. She smiled when her daughter nodded eagerly in response, and then said, "Go ahead sweetie you don't need to wait for us."

Smiling at the others, Julia ran ahead into the fog that was around the bridge, and she suddenly stopped and spun, watching the mist dance around her arms. She heard the sound of two cameras taking pictures, and looked back to see her mother and Alexis were holding them up to their faces. "Why do you do that?" she asked shyly, running back to Castle and grabbing him.

"Because that's a great picture," Alexis said. "Did yours come out good?"

"Really nice, my dad will like that one," Beckett said with a nod. "Keep going though," she then directed to Julia. "And we'll follow."

"Come with me," Julia said to Alexis, taking her hand and then her camera from her mother. "And we can take pictures together like we did before."

"I'll keep an eye on them, maybe take some pictures of Julia as well," Martha told Castle and Beckett before she walked after the two.

"So you enjoyed it in there?" Beckett asked, nodding to the building on the pier they'd just left.

"Of course, no one to tell me not to touch," Castle said. "It was awesome," he said as she rolled her eyes. He wrapped his arm around her waist then, stopping her at the railing in the middle of the fog and said, "I completely forgot though, we never got a call from them."

"I guess that warrant's harder to get," Beckett said simply. "And also you don't have any connections here."

"Too bad, I could have solved this case by now," Castle said. He looked down at her and said to her expression, "You don't think so?"

"With the little we have? You're good Castle, but not that good," Beckett said, shaking her head. She was a little startled when he leaned down then, and kissed her cheek. She laid her hands on his chest before she let him go to her lips, and they kissed slowly, his arms wrapping tightly around her.

As they were occupied, Castle heard the sound of a camera going off, and wondered if that was his daughter or Julia that had taken a picture of them. But before he could really figure that out, they pulled away from each other and a second later, his phone started to ring. "Ah, speaking of the case," he commented, answering the phone and putting it to speaker. "Detective?"

"Mr. Castle, we've been able to get a warrant for the apartment, and have been casing the building, but no sign of Mr. Price," Markowitz said on the other end. "We'd like you to join us once it's secure, because we talked to some neighbors who said Mr. Price, his wife and two others would come to the apartment every weekend."

"Love nest," Castle whispered though he had his finger over the mic. He took Beckett's nudge to his side without comment and said, "Is there any reason why you need us to go?"

"Well, turns out that friend you talked to, she contacted us again, and told us that Mr. Price recently came to her, asking if she'd like to start an affair with him," Markowitz said. "We talked to her about an hour ago, and she confessed that Mr. Price came to her apartment last night, stayed and then left."

"So he's here in the city for sure," Beckett said.

"He is," Markowitz said. "And that he was planning on heading to Haight-Ashbury after stopping at the apartment we found. So she thinks it's code, but for what we can't figure out. We're hoping you two will provide some insight taking a look at this apartment, see if you can get into his mind and maybe can guess what might be his next move."

"We'll go, but we're at the Embarcadero-" Beckett began.

"I'll have a squad car in about ten minutes there to get you," Markowitz said. "Where are you exactly?"

"Pier 15," Castle said quickly. After they'd hung up with the detective, he turned to see Alexis was behind them.

"You have to go?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but we'll try not to be out for too long," Beckett said apologetically. "And once we're done we'll head back to the hotel and wait for you there."

"Actually," Martha said. "We were planning on taking Julia to the swimming pool."

"Oh that should be fun," Beckett said, smiling at her daughter who looked worried. "Come here," she told her, picking her up. "Castle and I are going to help a friend of mine and her partner. But we'll go with you to dinner."

"Where do we go?" Julia asked, leaning her head against her mother's.

"How about the mall?" Alexis asked. "It has some amazing restaurants and the food court is actually really good."

"We'll check out the food court," Castle said, hugging Julia when she held her arms out to him. "We might need to decompress, who knows, so casual sounds better to me. But we'll be careful Julia," he told the little girl seriously. "I definitely want to see the mall."

"Me too," the little girl said with a smile as her mother took her again. "Be careful Mommy," she said imploringly. "You and Castle please."

"We will," Beckett assured her. She shared a kiss with her daughter and told her, "Be careful at the pool, and I want to hear all about how it is okay?"

"Kay, and then you come with us to dinner?" Julia asked.

"Of course," Beckett said, kissing her daughter's forehead. "I did pack her bathing suit," she said to Martha and Alexis as she set Julia down. "But not her vest."

"I'll stay with her," Alexis said. "It has a hot tub, is it okay to take her in there?"

"Sure, just not for that long," Beckett said. "We have our phones so… have fun."

"We'll call you once we're done," Castle said. "Though we should check out the pool ourselves," he said to Beckett.

"We'll see," Becket said simply, smiling at him. "Okay, bye, we'll see you guys later."

Waving to them, Castle followed Beckett out to the street and said, "I don't know, you honestly think we can help them that much just by looking around the apartment?"

"I may have told Erin earlier when I was telling her about the friend that you have a knack for that," Beckett said. "Pulling things from almost nothing to get a clue or solve the case."

"The mayor?" Castle asked as they could see a car pulling up with lights on the dashboard.

"Yeah, he's really pushing for them to solve this, and quick," Beckett said.

"Ms. Beckett, Mr. Castle, I'm Officer Buckhurst, Detective Markowitz sent me," the officer in the car said as the two stepped up to him.

Inside, Castle and Beckett became a little lost as they went south through the city, only recognizing where they were as they turned off Castro Street to Clipper Street. A few blocks after at the corner of Clipper and Church, the officer parked against the curb and they got out seeing some SWAT officers heading inside an apartment building.

"I guess we'll have to wait," Beckett said, assuming Neville and Markowitz were with the team since she didn't see them around the building.

"Or we could take a tour of the lobby," Castle said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the door. "A Victorian building like this, it should be beautiful inside."

Beckett wanted to protest that, but knew it would pointless to try and dissuade him. So she let him lead her inside, thinking he would stop there. But when he went to the stairs she tried to stop him. "And what if there's a shootout?" she asked.

"He won't be there," Castle said firmly. "He'll know they'd be looking at this apartment and the other that's listed as his residence first. But the killer might be there."

"Yeah, all the more reason not to go," Beckett said, stopping him as they could hear one of the officers on the third floor yelling.

Hearing the door being kicked open a second later, Castle continued up, but made sure that he was first to the third floor before they had to get out of the way of the SWAT officers. "Why exactly did they need them?" he asked Beckett.

"They might have found out the killer or the husband has access to guns," she replied.

"You're right for the second part of that," Markowitz said, coming out of the open door on the landing. "Mr. Price is the owner of a .45, which he obtained after he was attacked twice by boyfriends of past lovers. I'm glad you could join us, you're going to want to see this place."

"Gloves?" Beckett asked before the detective held them out to them. Putting them on as she walked to the door, she was surprised by the strong smell of patchouli coming out of the entry, and stepping inside she was a little startled by the appearance of what she could see of the apartment.

"It's like a Chinese temple," Castle said in shock, following Beckett. "Look at the carvings," he said as he looked at the art on the wall. "This is definitely from China. Was there anything that pointed to big purchases on the vic's or husband's account? Because what if it's not the husband, but maybe Chinese mafia because they got this stuff black market, and they couldn't pay them back?"

"We'll look into that," Neville said, coming out to them from further in the apartment. "Thanks for coming Kate, but I don't think there's going to be much for you to see. CSU is almost here, so they can take care of things."

"They can look around at the very least," Markowitz said.

"Alright, if you want to walk through this place, have fun," Neville said.

"Is it bad?" Beckett asked.

"The bedroom?" Castle then said.

"No, just very weird, well, the artwork anyways, to give you fair warning," Neville said. "I better talk to SWAT before they head back to the station," she told her partner before she walked out.

"Is anyone else here?" Castle asked suddenly before they could walk further in.

"No, it was just her, once the team cleared the apartment they left," Markowitz said. "You can go take a look around; I'll wait here for CSU to talk to them."

"I'm surprised," Beckett commented as they walked into what was the main room, seeing it too was decorated much the same as the entry had been. She glanced at her fiancé and saw the questioning expression on his face before she smiled slightly and said, "Surprised you didn't run for the bedroom."

"I'm a little afraid of what I might see in there to be honest," Castle said. "If it's a full out S&M lair then I am out of here."

"I would have thought you'd like to see that with me now we're together," Beckett said, not looking at him.

"Not really," Castle said, completely serious. "So if this is the theme going through the entire apartment," he said to quickly change the subject before Queens was mentioned. "Then what kind of artwork is going to be in the bedroom?" he finished as they saw even the kitchen was decorated in the same way as what they'd seen so far.

"Going by Erin's reaction… not fit for people under the age of eighteen," Beckett said as she turned towards the back doorway. "Are you coming with me?" she asked him as he looked at her from the bookshelf he was glancing at.

"Yeah, books are the same as the pictures apparently," Castle said, walking over to her as he gestured to the shelf with his thumb.

"I'm sure you want to take a look, but I'd like to get this done as soon as possible," Beckett said.

"You want to swim too?" Castle asked.

"Yes… oh, she wasn't kidding," Beckett said.

"Funny, I never thought about erotic Chinese art," Castle said, tilting his head at the picture above the bed which was of five people having sex together. "Never thought about a _ménage a_ …"

" _Cinq_ ," Beckett said, turning away from the picture.

"Okay, so judging by this 'art,'" Castle said, putting the word into air quotes. "I'm guessing it was definitely more than just the vic and her husband. A lot more if you take the number of people in these into consideration," he said, shaking his head as he looked at one of the pictures on another wall with an orgy depicted on it.

"Planning on getting ideas?" Beckett asked, looking into a drawer in the nightstand next to the very large bed.

"Not really," Castle said, going to a credenza and opening the drawers in it. "Nothing but clothes," he said in slight confusion. "Four separate kinds… So they have foursomes, the vic and her husband. Let's say another man and woman just because I have no clue what their sexual orientations are."

"And she gets pregnant by the lover," Beckett continued. "But why exactly would the husband not expect that to happen?"

"Any kind of protection around?" Castle asked.

"In the nightstand," Beckett said. "But that would beg the question was it her lover or her husband that got her pregnant."

"Then maybe it was the lover who killed her for getting pregnant by her husband," Castle said as he went to stand on the other side of the headboard. "But I still don't understand why that would be a problem. Unless he wanted the vic to himself."

"But she got an abortion, maybe…" Beckett said, pausing for a moment as she knelt down to check under the bed. "Maybe they both killed her because they wanted her to have the baby," she suggested. She paused then, as she grabbed something under the bed that felt like it had something caked on it that flaked off at her touch. She tried to pull it out when she met resistance and she looked up over the bed to Castle who was doing the same on the other side.

"This isn't what I think it is, is it?" he asked when he met her gaze.

"I'll take it," Beckett said. "And hope that it isn't." She pulled out the object, and was a little surprised to find a bloody knife handle that had carvings on the handle, folded, in her hand. "Okay," she said, looking over at the doorway with Castle as Markowitz and Neville appeared in the doorway.

"Where the hell was that?" Markowitz asked in disbelief as Neville ran back out.

"Under the bed," Beckett said, walking over to him as she guessed CSU was there. She glanced at Castle, who was walking over to the bathroom, before looking back at the detective. "Blood is dry, so it's likely your murder weapon."

"We just talked to the landlord, who said the last two people he saw come here were Price and another man; he couldn't recognize him though we showed him the sketch," Markowitz said as Neville came over with an evidence bag. "But the height was about the same as our other suspect so it might be the killer."

"I think you might want to look in there," Castle said. "There's blood all around the shower drain."

"Then she was killed here," Markowitz said. "We'll need the security footage from the lobby Neville," he said to his partner as the CSU team entered the room. "Mr. Castle, Ms. Beckett, follow me please."

"Are we in trouble for finding the murder weapon?" Castle asked once they were out on the landing.

"Far from it," Markowitz said. "And since we've pretty much got a statement saying the last people to enter this apartment were the husband and our killer, we can tie them to the murder. So CSU will be looking at the knife, and I think from there we're set with the case."

"Meaning we're set with the case," Beckett said wryly. "You don't need us anymore basically."

"I was trying to say it more… kindly than that, but sure, that's the bottom line," Markowitz said. "Let me escort you down to the street and get Officer Buckhurst to take you wherever you need to go," he said, gesturing to the stairs. "But don't get me wrong," he told them as they headed down. "You've broken this case wide open, and your information did help us cement a motive which will help once we get to trial."

"There's a problem with that though," Castle said. "The abortion doesn't seem to make things clearer."

"It's a step, once we have Grady Price in custody we can get the killer, and also his accomplice," Markowitz said.

"Accomplice?" Beckett asked in surprise.

"Yes, the vic had sex right before she died; the killer because the spermicide from a condom found in the vaginal sample was still a large amount," Markowitz said.

"Then she was killed as she was having sex," Castle said.

"We guessed that," Neville said, suddenly walking up to them in the lobby. "They're sending the footage over to the station; I'll take a look once I get there. But yes, we figured the three were having sex, and the killer slit her throat from behind as the other person with them was likely distracting her in front."

"Which they were doing in the shower," Beckett pointed out. "So that means it was planned."

"And this might be the other two lovers wanting to have the husband to themselves," Castle suggested. "Or else the three wanting to be on their own and them taking the chance while Mr. Price was out of town-"

"To put their plan into action, so the abortion might not have to do with anything," Beckett said.

"Well, whoever the accomplice is, we'll find her," Markowitz said.

"Her?" Castle asked.

"There were some long strands of brunette hair found in the vic's hand," Neville said. "Which would go with her being killed while having sex, if she was clutching the woman's hair at the time."

"Sounds like you pretty much have everything set, but are you sure you don't need us to help you find that woman?" Castle asked.

"Oh no, the key is finding Price and the killer," Neville said. "Which we're set with now, because we got a few calls that he's been seen around the Market Street Cinema and we've sent patrol cars there to search. But like Mark said, we're really grateful for you lending us your expertise."

"We were glad to help," Beckett said, touching Castle's arm when he opened his mouth to protest.

"Yeah, it was interesting to help out the city of San Francisco," Castle said as Neville waved down the street.

"Where's Buckhurst?" Markowitz said when he saw the taxi pulling to the curb. "Oh, you sent him to Market. Okay, so it was interesting to meet you Mr. Castle, Ms. Beckett, enjoy the rest of your vacation."

"You'll have to keep in touch with me Kate," Neville said after Castle and Beckett had shaken her partner's hand. "And let me know how your daughter enjoys the city."

"I will, it was so nice to see you again Erin, good luck with the rest of your case," Beckett said, sharing a quick hug with her.

"Thanks, and I'll let you know once everything gets wrapped up how it turned out," Neville said. "Interesting to meet you Mr. Castle," she said to him as she shook his hand and then headed back into the lobby.

"Let's go, that took a lot less time than I thought it would," Castle said as they went to the cab.

"I know, so we should be able to head to the mall," Beckett said, closing the door. "The Westin St. Francis," she said to the driver.

Turning to look back at the building, Castle was a little startled to see Neville standing in the doorway, watching them go. Sitting normally, he shook his head and looked over at Beckett, "You don't think they need us still?"

"They say they don't," Beckett said. "And Castle, I know this case is very salacious, but we were asked to help out, which we've done."

"It just seems way too easy," Castle commented.

"I know, but this isn't home, so maybe this is the one case we work on that it's just that simple," Beckett said imploringly. "And since we're not officially working with them, I think we can go ahead and let the SFPD handle the rest on their own."

"True, I wouldn't want to have to troll around the city for these three suspects," Castle said. "And I would like to get back to our vacation, I hated saying goodbye to Julia earlier," he said as he took Beckett's hand that was on her knee. "And your friend will let us know what happens."

"Of course," Beckett said easily. "She's not that bad."

"No," Castle said, but a little absently. They were quiet for the rest of the drive to their hotel, and after getting out; Detective Neville having paid their trip beforehand; he led the way up to their floor, texting on his phone on the way. "They're still at the pool," he said as Beckett walked a little behind him towards their suite.

"Of course they are, it's probably heated," Beckett said.

"You know, since it's still pretty early in the day, I had the idea of joining them," Castle said, pausing and turning to her. He glanced at a man that walked past them the way they'd come, and then looked back at his fiancée. "But I think you and I could use a very long, hot shower after that apartment."

"The shower?" Beckett asked in understanding.

"Or maybe a bath, either way, I just feel like I need to be cleansed," Castle said. "And then we can head over to the pool until we go to the mall."

"Sounds great to me, and I agree, a cleansing would be great," Beckett said as they walked past the door to the suite before theirs. "And not just because of that visual of the vic in the shower with her killers, but those pictures were h-"

"Don't move," the man that had suddenly come up and grabbed Beckett said, twisting her arm behind her back while the other held a gun to her temple as Castle whirled around. "Open the door, and get inside. Now," he said as he cocked the gun.

Looking at Beckett; who he could see was immobilized by Grady Price's hold; Castle nodded and said, "Yeah, sure, we'll go inside right now." He turned to the door, and opened it, stumbling inside as he could feel Price using Beckett to shove him into the suite.


	6. Dealing With A Sinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Alligator by Paul McCartney, from his album New.

"I'm getting tired of people holding us at gunpoint," Beckett said, once she had gotten off of Castle after Price had pushed them both to the couch.

"You're helping the police investigate my wife's murder," the man said, standing over them. At their nods he yelled, "Why did you tell them I killed her?"

"We didn't tell them, they figured out on their own," Castle said. "And no one said anything about you killing her."

"But to them I pretty much did," Price said angrily. "I loved my wife and-"

"They found your apartment," Beckett said, cutting him off. "Or let me guess, that was her idea?"

"The apartment, no, that was both of us talking and realized we preferred sex in numbers," Price said, still annoyed. "That was so our landlord wouldn't catch us at our home and toss us out, it took us a long time to save up for it."

"So who were the two people who were joining you?" Castle asked.

"They were… they were our friends I thought, this was them," Price said, looking at his gun. He noticed Beckett starting to get up and he moved his finger slightly. "Don't push it," he snapped. "How did my wife die?" When Castle and Beckett shared a look he bellowed, "How did she die?"

"We're not sure," Beckett said quickly. "We're hoping you can tell us."

"I wasn't there obviously, if you're helping the police they told you my alibi," Price hissed.

"But the money in your account?" Castle then said, starting to put his arm in front of Beckett as he didn't want to risk her getting shot in case he asked something wrong.

"That was for… that was why we had that apartment too, not just our lovers, but… we smoked opium," Price said, swallowing hard. "My wife is… was part Chinese and she was obsessed with everything about the culture. We smoked opium and had sex and it was what we enjoyed."

"And that withdrawal was for that?" Beckett asked. "Where is it?"

"What do you mean where is it? It should be in the apartment you found… it's not there?" Price asked. He didn't wait for an answer though, and groaned heavily as he said, "Then they wanted to frame me. They were talking about us becoming public. They were tired of hiding, tired of the drugs; they wanted me and Barbara to walk out on those streets with the whole city knowing who we were and what we did together; all four of us."

"And why didn't you both go along with that?" Beckett said, moving Castle's arm.

"Because of our jobs, they wouldn't really appreciate who we were with," Price said. "They killed her having sex didn't they?"

Glancing at each other, Castle said first, "Her throat was slit from behind and she also had bruising on her neck and wrists."

"We found blood on the wood floor in the bathroom," Beckett suddenly said. "They must have laid her there and missed it when they cleaned up."

"What are you talking about; we have rugs all over… they got rid of her in a rug?" Price asked. "They rolled her up and threw her off this roof? Oh god, they're trying to frame me for not going along with their demands," he groaned, closing his eyes.

"You know who they are Mr. Price," Castle said quickly. "And if you want to clear your name you have to tell us who the killer and his accomplice are."

"We had to hide it, with work… we'd lose everything," Price said, shaking his head; not seeming to have heard Castle.

"Price, tell us who they are and we'll put them behind bars," Beckett said, standing up.

"She's-" Price began to say when he jumped at a knock on the door. He whirled around and heard Beckett starting to run to him before he turned back to her and shoved her against Castle as he'd followed her. With them trying to recover their balance, he ran for the door and ran out into the hall, pushing Alexis violently aside to her cry of protest.

"Alexis are you okay?" Castle asked when he and Beckett ran out of their suite.

"He went that way and I'm fine," the young woman said in slight shock. "Who was that?"

"Our suspect," Castle said, breathing out heavily before he ran down the hall where Beckett had gone. "Disappeared?" he asked as he saw her turning the corner.

"Completely, he must have been waiting for us for a while and found an escape route," Beckett said, taking her phone out of her pocket. "Okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah, Alexis is fine," Castle responded as they reached her in front of their open door.

"Damn it, Erin's not picking up," Beckett said. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Was that the killer?" Alexis asked, going inside the suite with her father and Beckett, looking around for a moment before she turned to them.

"No," Castle said, looking at his fiancée who was hanging up her phone again.

"No he's not, but his two… friends are," Beckett said. "Whoever they are, I need to tell them they need to look at the ME, it's got to be someone there."

"Let me try," Castle said. "I'll give Markowitz a call." He dialed the number quickly, but was sent straight to voicemail. "Nothing from him either. Is this how it is in the city?" he asked his daughter.

"Not always," Alexis said quickly. "Something must have happened. Usually when you have problems it's a dropped call or your GPS doesn't catch up to you fast enough."

"I'm sending Erin a text," Beckett said. "Send one to Markowitz and I'll call their station."

"Why were you here?" Castle asked Alexis once he'd finished the text.

"I was coming to see if you guys were still planning on going to the pool with us," his daughter replied. "So I guess you're not finished with the case then?"

"I don't think so," Beckett said, hanging up her phone. "The station's going to try to contact them to get in touch with us, but until then, they're busy sending out everyone to look for Price."

"Did you mention-" Castle started to say.

"Of course, but the officer I talked to seemed to think I was full of it, and I know he just disregarded it," Beckett said. "He also advised us to stay here; I think they're a little uneasy of witnesses going missing, let alone suspects."

"Why is it so important to get Price?" Alexis asked. "I'm assuming that's the man who just shouldered me aside?" she said when Beckett and Castle looked at her.

"Well, since you're pretty much involved now," Castle began, looking at his fiancée. When she nodded he continued saying, "San Francisco has a fairly low murder rate, so this is a pretty big deal. And the mayor's pushing for Detectives Neville and Markowitz to solve it so they can reassure the tourists. Even though this has absolutely nothing to do with them."

"Still, it's a little disturbing how she was thrown off the roof," Alexis said.

"What if it's the other two lovers wanting to keep their arrangement they have now?" Castle began, expecting Beckett to continue that. But when he saw that her eyes were wide and she was shaking her head slightly he tensed, forgetting his daughter was listening.

"So… four people were in a relationship?" Alexis asked. "Dad, there's a group of three guys in my Irish class who're together. I don't understand it, but I know it happens. And I won't say anything to anyone else. Especially Julia. Speaking of her, why don't you come with me to the pool, she'll be happy to see you."

Beckett was quiet for a moment as Castle looked to her to answer, and finally she sighed saying, "There really isn't anything else left to do. So we'll go, but I'd prefer not to swim. I'm sure they'll contact us soon, and when they do we need to be ready to head to their station."

"Sure, we'll have a chance to swim another day," Castle said with a nod. He followed her and Alexis out, slipping his phone in his pocket as he shut the door to the suite behind them, a little concerned with how long it was taking the two detectives to get in contact with them.

* * *

"Alright, I'll try again to get a hold of Erin, this is getting ridiculous," Beckett was saying almost an hour later as she and Castle walked back into their suite. "They have to have heard from their station at least, if they didn't get our calls, voicemails and texts."

"I get the feeling they maybe caught the killer or Price, or both," Castle said as he sat at the table with her. "I feel bad though our plans for the mall are pretty much over."

"Not really, if they can just hold on a little until we give our statements then we can still go. It's still the afternoon," Beckett said, her phone dialing Detective Neville's number. She wasn't surprised when there was no answer, so she quickly dialed Markowitz. And it was then they finally got one of the detectives to answer to their surprise.

"Ms. Beckett, what can I help you with?" the man said on the other end in greeting, his tone of voice clipped and tense.

Looking at each other, Beckett said, "We've been trying to contact you for an hour now. We were just-"

Before she could finish though, the phone call cut off and Castle said, "Something definitely happened to them too."

"Let's hope-" Beckett began to say when her phone started to ring. "Detective," she said in slight annoyance. "I need to tell you that an hour ago we were here in our suite at the hotel, talking with Grady Price."

"You what?" Markowitz said, sounding startled. "Damn it, I haven't been able to get your calls if you have called me before, something's up with the towers in the city. But if that's the case, I need you two to get over here to SF North General. Take a cab and I'll reimburse the trip."

"A hospital?" Castle asked as he and Beckett looked at one another again. "Are you alright Detective?"

"Me? Oh I'm fine, it's my partner," Markowitz said. "Neville was just brought here, kidnapped and beaten by either Price, or our killer."

* * *

Walking through the doors of the emergency room, Beckett saw Markowitz before Castle, and led the way over to him asking, "Is she alright?"

"I don't know, they're working with her right now," Markowitz said. "Come with me, we need a little more privacy for whatever it is you're going to tell me," he told them as he led them into a small room behind the nurses' station. "Alright, you said you were talking with Grady Price, our suspect?" he asked them once the door was closed, looking and sounding suspicious.

"Not voluntarily," Castle said.

With that, Beckett and Castle explained what had happened from the moment Price had taken her hostage to the point where he'd disappeared around the corner on their floor. When they finished, Markowitz frowned for a moment and then sighed deeply before speaking.

"I'm inclined to trust you on what you saw," he said to them. "But I have to still treat Price as a suspect until I can talk to him."

"But would that money he was talking about be the same amount as a bag of opium, not a hit out on his wife?" Castle asked.

"It sounds about right," Markowitz said. "I used to be in Narcotics, about three years ago, adjusting for inflation, that might be how much it is now. And you think the two are from the ME."

"It seemed to be that, probably a man and woman they worked with given his talking about how they needed to keep the relationship secret," Beckett said.

"It would be worth it to check it out," Markowitz said before he looked up at the two. "So you're involved with the case again I suppose. But leave capturing Price to us, we're inundating the city with officers and the BOLO on him still stands. But with him having a gun, it's going to be risky. And of course we'll take care of searching for the two killers, but we could use your help there."

"What happened to Erin?" Beckett asked.

"Detective?" a doctor said, opening the door to the room. "The nurses told me you were here; she's ready to talk to you now."

"You'll hear the story from her, because I only heard that she escaped out of a moving car around Nob Hill and it looked like she'd been beaten up," Markowitz said.

"Can we go in the room?" Castle asked.

"I need you to tell her what happened to you," Markowitz said. "Because according to a nurse, she's not too seriously injured so she's still working on the case."

"She demanded that?" Beckett asked. When the detective nodded, she smiled briefly and said, "She was always stubborn."

Walking to the room where Neville was sitting up in a hospital bed, Markowitz; the first inside; said, "You're okay."

"Disappointed?" Neville asked with a wry remark before she glanced at Castle and Beckett who came in behind him. "They're here because…?"

"Something happened to them, but I think your story's the more important one," Markowitz said. "You told the nurses and doctors it had to do with the case."

"Yeah, it did, but I'm more interested in hearing what happened to them because I get the feeling it's more of a clue than what happened to me," Neville said. "Go ahead."

Though he wasn't sure it was a good idea, Castle helped Beckett relay their story for a second time, and finished saying, "So we're very sure he's innocent, and you likely need to look at the Medical Examiner's Office."

"Okay, well, I'm pretty sure I was attacked by the killer himself, and his accomplice," Neville said, turning her head slightly away from them. "I was stupid Mark; I headed out to Chinatown, to check on that bag of opium residue that we found remember? And-"

"You found opium there?" Beckett interrupted her.

"Residue, but considering what Price told you, it makes sense," Markowitz said. "And were you able to get anything?"

"No, but then again I don't think any of us here is really surprised about that," Neville said simply. "So walking back to my car, I realized I was being followed, and then was pushed into a car, I have no idea where they took me… I think it may have been the parking garage of Grace Cathedral, since there were a lot of hills we went over. But they grabbed me, blindfolded me, and just beat me up. I don't know how long they were doing that, but finally they stopped, and drove out. I got the ties around my wrists off," she told them, raising her arms so they could see her slightly red wrists. "And got the blindfold off before jumping out before we could go much further down California than Jones."

"And you saw them," Markowitz said.

"Yes it was, the killer," Neville said, glancing at Castle and Beckett for a moment before looking back at her partner. "The woman… I guess she was a woman, I don't know, they were both covered and I only recognized him by his chin and nose, the same as the picture. But the woman, she had a pointed chin, and her nose looked like it had a bump from a previous break about here," she indicated her own nose for reference. "I can sit with a sketch artist if you need me to."

"About what time were you kidnapped?" Castle asked as the room was quiet while Markowitz wrote on a pad of paper furiously.

"I don't know," Neville said. "Maybe at about… two."

"Really? Because you were found on the street at three, so they beat you for an hour," Castle said.

"What are you saying?" Markowitz said, looking over at him suspiciously.

"Nothing, he's just trying to make sure that Price taking us wasn't connected to what happened to Erin," Beckett said quickly, shooting a glare at Castle.

"Pretty much," he said when the others looked at him. "Just have to make sure about everything of course."

"Of course," Neville said with a slight nod. "So it was likely… after Price left you. It could have been him you know."

"He does look similar to the sketch, if he had the same eyebrow and chin," Markowitz said. "I'll have to look into that."

"You mean I will," Neville said.

"No, I will, because you know you can't investigate this, we'll be lucky if the mayor doesn't take the case away from us now that you've been attacked by our suspects," Markowitz said. "But given what you guys heard from him-"

"Which could have easily been him using you two to clear him," Neville said. "Think about it Mark, if he could convince them then it wouldn't be a problem to disappear because we wouldn't be looking for him anymore."

"I know, and I never canceled the BOLO, it's still in place. But we need to look at the ME as they said, and anyone else who comes into contact with them," Markowitz said.

"Including the police," Beckett said.

"Yeah, that's going to be fun," Markowitz muttered as Neville groaned and lay back on the bed.

At that point the door to the room opened and a doctor entered, looking around at everyone inside. "I need to speak with my patient," the woman said. "And you're her partner?"

"I am, and I need to be heading back to the station Neville, give me a call if you get released," Markowitz said before he left with Castle and Beckett. "Okay, I wonder if you two could possibly take a look at the site for the ME, and look for a woman that might fit the description that she gave."

"What will you do now?" Beckett asked.

"Probably head to Chinatown, see if there are any cameras on the street she was taken," Markowitz said. "And then I need to finish up with the building where the murder scene is."

"Witness statements?" Castle asked.

"That's the hard part about things like this happening on a week day. Only a few people were in their apartments when we went in," Markowitz said.

"You don't really think it's Price do you," Castle said.

"I sensed that too, do you know him?" Beckett said.

"I do, from cases, and he's always been a great guy. Of course, I had no idea he had this freaky sex thing going on, but you never know people really," the detective said with a shrug.

"What about the vic?" Castle then said.

"For a couple cases, usually it was Price himself that worked on our vics," Markowitz said. "But she was nice, before I found out about the apartment; I wouldn't have been able to think of anyone who might hate her. But it looks like this abortion was the trigger."

"Whoever the other two are must have found out about it recently," Beckett said, nodding. "And they started planning from there. But is there any reason why the Westin St. Francis?"

"Price and his wife had their first date at the restaurant there," Markowitz said. "So if he's got nothing to do with it, then it's because the other two are trying to hurt him."

"Which makes the theory of the Prices leaving them make better sense," Castle said to Beckett.

"Did he know about the baby?" Markowitz then asked.

"It was never mentioned," Beckett said.

"Probably better, because he was pretty tense and emotional enough," Castle said. "Why?"

"He always wanted kids," Markowitz said. "I have a son, and he would ask about him every time I worked with him, and then mention he and his wife were talking about adopting because they didn't think she could have kids."

"When did he start telling you that?" Beckett asked.

"Six years ago, when my wife was still pregnant," Markowitz said. "So he's not a high priority now, I know what you're thinking," he told them quickly. "I just need to talk to him because he knows who killed his wife."

"We'll look at the site," Beckett said. "And let you know what we can find there."

"Thanks, I just hope Neville will recover quickly," Markowitz said before he groaned slightly. "I need to check out the parking lot at Grace Cathedral, and see what I can get there. She might have seen the car she was in; I have to ask her about that. I'm going to wait, see if I can speak with her."

"Good luck," Castle said before he and Beckett headed back to the lobby.

"Castle, what the hell were you doing?" she asked once they were relatively alone near the doors in the lobby.

"I… hey!" Castle started to say before he looked past her shoulder and saw a familiar man walking inside.

Turning around, Beckett saw the same man they'd seen on Alcatraz; but without the drooping eyebrow; freeze before he took off down another hall. She ran after Castle as they both followed, and when they came to a bend they turned the corner to find that he was gone.

"Now I'm getting tired of these guys disappearing on us," Castle said, breathing hard as they started to walk down the hall, knocking and opening a few doors before he came to one. "He's gone," he told Beckett, showing her the staircase behind the door he'd opened.

"Okay, we need to contact Markowitz, and security," she said, getting her phone.

Walking to the security office; once they'd found where it was; as he kept an eye out for the suspect, Castle waited for his fiancée to hang up before he asked, "Did it seem weird to you that he was carrying flowers?"

"Of course, but then again he's obviously visiting someone. So what's your point Castle?" Beckett asked him.

"He's obviously here to see y-" Castle began to say before he heard Markowitz calling to them from down the hall.

"Why is it exactly that you two keep running into our suspects?" the detective said as he reached them. "If I wasn't aware of who you were already, I'd start to get suspicious. So what happened?"

"He's here," Beckett said simply. "The killer, Castle saw him walk in and I saw him too before he took off to the north stairwell. We chased him but, by the time we got to the stairs he was up at the second floor."

"Excuse me," Markowitz said when he heard that. He banged on the door to security with his fist and said, "This is the SFPD, I need to speak with the head of security now." When there was no reply he frowned and pulled out his gun saying, "You two stay there." Trying the door, he saw it was locked and then kicked it open, going inside as Castle and Beckett looked on.

"What the hell is going on?" a man said behind the two in the hallway. "Who's that guy?"

"I'm Detective Markowitz with the SFPD, you've got a man down in there and I need you to put the hospital on lockdown, there's a suspect in this building," the detective said, stepping back out as he flashed his badge.

"What the hell happened to our screens," the guard said as he went into the room and saw all the TVs that showed the security camera footage were all thrown to the floor. "Biggs, you alright?" he asked the man sitting up on the floor.

"I'll get a nurse," Castle said when he saw the bleeding wound on the top of the man's head.

"I'm okay," the guard named Biggs said. "Someone clobbered me though, I thought it was you back from rounds early, but it was some guy in sunglasses."

"Did he look like this?" Beckett asked, walking in and showing the man the sketch of the suspect on her phone to Markowitz's nod of thanks.

"Except for that eyebrow, yeah, pretty much," Biggs said with a nod.

"Excuse me," a nurse said behind Beckett then.

"So he was here, and he went around the second floor to avoid us to get to the security footage," Castle said as he entered after Biggs had gone with the nurse to a stretcher in the hall. "I'm going to guess however you record the footage is gone?"

"We store it in a tower here," the other security guard said, pointing under the desk that Biggs had been sitting in, the space where it should have been empty.

"Of course," Markowitz said with a sigh. "Call the police, Northern station has jurisdiction here." He then motioned Castle and Beckett out of the room and told them, "Anything you want to change on that sketch besides the eyebrow?"

"No, sunglasses are the same," Beckett said.

"All his other features too," Castle said. "Do you need us to talk to a sketch artist?"

"No, I can have him draw a new sketch based on what you said," Markowitz said. "For now I have a lot to look into, and with it only me-"

"Mark, you're still here?" a voice called behind them as they were walking to the exit in the lobby.

"They're letting you out?" Markowitz asked as he saw his partner.

"Yep, no concussion, which was a relief. Could do without the stitches though," Neville said, in a wheelchair a nurse was pushing.

"I'm glad to see you're okay other than that," Beckett said.

"Me too, you just saw the suspect?" Neville asked.

"And he disappeared," the security guard said. "Out a door leading to our loading dock. So I'm taking the hospital off lockdown, you can go."

"Good, I'm ready to go," Neville said as they went out to the curb. She stood up and as she did so, something fell from her pocket.

"Here," Castle said quickly, picking up what turned out to be a gold ring with a ruby on the top. "Pretty," he said after hesitating slightly.

"Thanks, it's my grandmother's," Neville said. "Are we ready?"

"Yeah, if you two are set I can get you a cab?" Markowitz asked.

"That would be nice," Beckett said, glancing at Castle who looked thoughtful. "Now we have a better idea of what the killer looks like, since that eyebrow was fake; though I'm not sure if that's much of a disguise. He must have thought it would be enough to disappear into the ether of your city."

"He only has one eyebrow?" Neville asked in surprise.

"No, they're just normal eyebrows," Beckett said with a shrug. "But you're sure you still want us on this case?"

"Let me ask you something," Neville said, turning to face her after checking to see if her partner had arrived with their car and a cab. "I know you're a mother now, so are you worried for your safety?'

"Slightly," Beckett said. "Especially since I'm unarmed."

"I can't really help you with that, we're fairly strict with gun laws in this city, not to mention state," Neville said. "But if you want to just stop, for the sake of your child, you can. You as well Mr. Castle, I've heard you have a child too."

"We'd like some closure," Castle said, looking at Beckett and knowing what she wanted to say. "And since we were attacked ourselves by your killer, we'd like to finish the case with you, in the sense that we help you identify him. And his partner."

"Then go back to your hotel," Neville said as Markowitz pulled up with the car then. "Search, but leave the heavy workload to us."

"And you'll be okay working?" Beckett asked.

"I don't know honestly, but I'll do the best I can," Neville said. "I knew Barbara sort of well, for work, and this hits hard. She was a good worker." And with that the detective got into the car with her partner.

"Ms. Beckett, Mr. Castle, if you find anything, call, I'll make sure I get the call this time. There's a cab coming behind," Markowitz called from the open window.

"We will, and let us know if you can find him before we do," Castle said before they waved at the detectives as their car drove off.

"You're speculating," Beckett said simply, glancing at him watching the car though it was long gone from view.

"I know, but I don't know what I have yet, give me some time," Castle said, still musing. "But now, let's go to that mall."

"Are you sure? I thought you'd want to look at that site right away," Beckett said as the cab was getting closer.

"Sure, but my mother and Alexis do have to get ready," Castle said.

"Which will be enough time," Beckett said with a nod. "Good thing the hotel has an office."

"Good thing," Castle said, looking back again in the direction Markowitz and Neville had left, frowning for a brief moment before he turned to follow Beckett into their taxi.


	7. Too Soon To See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song New by Paul McCartney, from his album New.

"So we're actually going to a mall," Beckett commented as they stepped inside the San Francisco Centre. She was surprised when Castle didn't reply to that and she nudged him in the side saying, "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fine, just, a little perturbed," he said quickly. "This guy has been ahead of us, though we know what he looks like."

"Well, after destroying the security footage he obviously knew that we were going to look at the one place we could get a picture of him without knowing his name," Beckett said.

"I know, so he decided to remove the picture and all other information about him, along with some other pictures too of past employees," Castle said. "It's not all that bad though, Neville's showing the sketch at the morgue now, so… we should have an ID soon. Of him at least, there's still the matter of his accomplice."

"And that's where Price comes in," Beckett said simply. "Hopefully they'll find him as well."

"Are you two with us tonight?" Martha said, turning to the two to stop them from walking.

"Sorry Martha, we just wanted to discuss something. But I promise, we won't talk anymore about the case, like we said we would," Beckett said, unable to help smiling at the promise Castle's mother and daughter had extracted from them before they'd left the hotel to walk there. She then turned to her daughter, seeing that Julia was looking at them, biting her lower lip a little. "Come here sweetie," she said. Once her daughter was in her arms, she kissed her cheek and asked, "Do you mind coming here?"

Shaking her head, Julia said, "Alexis said there's a store I'll like, and that she has a surprise for me."

"She does," Castle said, shaking himself then from thinking about the case.

"I do, but I wanted to ask if you want to eat first or go shopping?" Alexis asked. "Because the way to the food court is right here," she gestured to an escalator.

"Eat, I'm starving actually, since lunch was a very long time ago," Beckett said, smiling as Julia nodded. When Castle and Martha had agreed she set her daughter down and said, "Why don't we head over towards the escalators," to Alexis.

"I forgot you've been here before," the young woman said. "You noticed that I guess."

"I did, but I think they added on to this if I'm not mistaken, long after I went back home," Beckett said as they walked into the middle of the escalators and she glanced down at Julia as her daughter looked up.

"Wow, that's impressive," Castle said, as he followed her gaze. "How tall is this mall?"

"Nine stories in this section, the added on is about six stories and it's amazing too, you'll see later because one store I want to take her to is in that other section," Alexis replied, smiling as Julia was taking a picture of the dome above them. When the little girl had finished, she led them down to the bottom level, and over to the food court.

"This is impressive," Martha said. "You've got a market and Ghirardelli; I'm eager to see the stores Alexis."

"You'll love some of them Gram," Alexis said. "There are a couple I want you to see too."

"Speaking of Ghirardelli, should we have dessert there or-" Castle said as he and Beckett were walking with Julia behind his mother and daughter. He was cut off when Julia suddenly let go of their hands and ran for the railings blocking off the entrance to the market. "Or we can pick something up here," he commented since she was looking at the items inside the bakery.

"Mommy, Mommy, look at the cookie eggs," Julia giggled as Beckett picked her up.

"I know sweetie, and they look good, but I think there's something else you might want; after dinner," Beckett told her daughter a little firmly.

"Did you research this mall before you came?" Alexis asked when she heard that.

"I did, I came here a number of times," Beckett said. "And I wanted to see how much had changed."

"That's what I was going to suggest," Alexis said as Beckett had nodded to a dessert place called Beard Papa. "Okay, so you have a lot of choices, Italian, soup; they have clam chowder, but the best is at Fisherman's Wharf. I'm going for some Mexican; they have the best street tacos."

"Why don't we split up, and then when we're ready we'll meet up again," Castle suggested. "Because we might all get something different." When Alexis and Martha had left them, he turned to Beckett and asked, "And Julia?"

"I don't know," the little girl said quickly when her mother and Castle looked at her. She looked around the food court and then pointed to one asking, "What's that?"

"That's Italian," Castle said. "Which I think I'll pick, I feel like a pizza."

"Why don't we split one?" Beckett asked.

"Me too," Julia said, tugging on her sleeve. "Please."

While Castle went to get their choice, Beckett took Julia to the tables and then texted Alexis and Martha to let them know where they were. "So how was swimming after we left you sweetie?" she asked her daughter once she was sitting.

"Was fun, but Mommy, do you and Castle have to go away again? Don't you not work here?" Julia asked softly.

Wincing inwardly at that, Beckett helped her daughter up onto her lap and said, "I'm sorry we're working during our vacation, but we're almost done. And once we are we'll spend the rest of the time with you okay?"

"And Alexis?" Julia asked as Castle walked over to them.

"Her too," he said, having heard them. He set down the tray he was carrying, and as he did so took the opportunity to whisper to his fiancée, "What are they doing tomorrow?"

"There was never a set plan for today, ask your daughter," Beckett said, nodding behind him.

It wasn't until they'd been eating for a while that Castle had the chance to ask Alexis what the next day's plans were. She seemed to hesitate and then said, "I have an assignment in my Hindu Mythology class, it's not due until May, but I got the assignment at the beginning of the semester and I waited for you to come before I started on it. It's an essay; we need to find a piece of art featuring at least one figure in Hindu mythology, and write about it. I know the Asian Art Museum has some pieces, and I would love to take you all there to see what I might pick, as well as to just see their collection."

"Diana's been there I'm assuming," Martha commented.

"She has, and she says there are a number of pieces of art that are Hindu, and that Julia might like the textiles they have," Alexis said.

"They have robes like we saw at Chinatown?" Julia asked eagerly.

"It sounds like you have an idea of what you want to pick," Castle pointed out as his daughter nodded to Julia's question.

"Well, she said there are paintings of Shiva and Parvati," Alexis said.

"Can I see?" Julia asked, remembering the story she had told her the night before.

"That depends on your mom, if she says it's okay," Alexis replied.

"It's fine," Beckett said. "It sounds like it might be interesting actually, and you're right, she would love any textiles there."

"Great, so we'll do that, and then we can head to City Hall maybe?" Alexis suggested. "It's a beautiful building, just a quick look around."

"We're pretty much letting you take over our plans for tomorrow," Castle said. "So wherever you think we'll like."

"Great," Alexis said. "But for now, we still have shopping to do," she said to Julia.

Since her daughter was preoccupied with her slice of pizza, Beckett asked, "Any toy stores?"

"Oh, two if I remember correctly," Alexis said. "We can check out a directory. But there's one that's toys and books, I went in there. And another with more intelligence related games."

"We'll head to that first one," Beckett said, glancing at her watch. "And I'd like to recommend something for tomorrow," she said, looking at the others. "That Julia chooses where we have dinner."

"Good idea, but she doesn't really know any places except, oh, it's a good idea," Castle said before he realized why she'd suggested that.

"I pick?" Julia asked in surprise.

"You do, and anything you want except for Fisherman's Wharf because that's most likely going to be lunch the next day," Beckett said.

"Do I have to say now?" Julia then said.

"You can think about it," Castle said. "Finish up your pizza, and then we can have dessert."

"What is dessert?" Julia said, bouncing on her knees a little.

"If you finish you'll know," Castle said, trying to sound mysterious and smiling when the little girl giggled before hurrying back to her food.

* * *

"Okay, so here's the addition," Alexis was saying after they'd left the food court. "The Dome as they call it."

"Wow, that is a very decorative dome," Castle said while they were all looking up. "And this is even more impressive, some nice restaurants here and a theater."

"I've seen a movie here once, the first time I came with Diana we went," Alexis said. "But I brought you here to check out this store. Come on," she said, taking Julia's hand and hurrying with her to the doorway.

"Any idea what they sell?" Castle asked his fiancée.

"No clue," Beckett said as they followed.

"A stationery store?" Castle said when he saw the merchandise.

"Yeah, Diana and another friend of ours, Linda, come here for pens, they have some really great ones, but they also have cute Japanese stationery sets and stickers, a lot of them. And some art supplies I thought Julia might like," Alexis said.

"And why do you like this store?" Martha asked.

"Because of the pens too, but it's fun to look around with those two," Alexis said. "Let me show you the erasers before we look at everything else. They come in all kinds of shapes," she told Julia.

Smiling as she watched the two head further back in the store, Beckett turned to her fiancé and saw he was looking at the display case next to them. "Was she right?" she asked, leaning over to see what had his attention.

"A really nice Malachite pen," Castle said. "And not too badly priced either… excuse me," he said before he went to the register.

"Is there anything you find interesting here?" Martha asked.

"The wrapping paper actually. I could use it for Julia for her friends' birthdays," Beckett mused as she looked around the items in the front of the shop besides the display case.

"This is sweet," Martha commented, holding up a package of paper with pink fans on it.

Glancing over at his mother and Beckett, Castle smiled slightly at her when his fiancée looked at him. He took the pen the employee handed him after opening the case, and then walked over to them. "Have you bought me gifts for my birthday and you need paper to wrap them up?" he asked in a low voice once he'd reached them.

"With pink fans on them? I highly doubt it Richard. I'll see what the girls are up to," Martha said before she left them.

"For Julia's friends, she's made a number of them and they'll have birthdays," Beckett said when Castle had turned to her. "So you're getting the pen?"

"I am, would you like me to get one for you? They're pretty nice," he said as he handed it to her.

"I think I'm good," Beckett said with a slight smile. "Oh, I forgot to ask, did you tell Markowitz about-"

"I told him everything, don't worry," Castle said, busying himself with putting the pen back in its case.

"Are you okay?" Beckett asked, studying him then.

"Sure, just, tired to tell you the truth," Castle told her as he looked up at her. "I would like to get back to the vacation."

"Julia wants us to do that too," Beckett said. "But I think what we should do is just give Erin and Markowitz until tomorrow, and after that they're on their own. No matter how much the mayor begs us himself if it comes to that."

"Well, we're going to City Hall tomorrow, so if he wanted to beg us in person he can do that," Castle said. "How awesome would that be? The mayor of San Francisco asking us to finish solving a case."

"Would you say the same thing if it was the mayor of NYC and you weren't friends with him?" Beckett asked, a wry smile on her face.

"Most likely," Castle said, smiling as she laughed softly. "We… ah, and here comes the inevitable 'can I get this' question," he started to say before trailing off when he heard running behind them.

"Mommy, can-" Julia started to say before she was cut off and the three things she was holding in her hand were taken from her.

"I'll take care of these… stickers," Castle said, looking at what she'd held. "Is that it?"

"No," Julia said, looking at her mother.

"Keep looking then, see what else you want," Beckett said. She tucked the wrapping paper she'd chosen under her arm and said, "Whatever else she gets-"

"It's my turn, you bought her everything at Alcatraz and the Exploratorium earlier today," Castle said quickly. "Tomorrow at the museum you can get her whatever she wants."

"Alright, just don't… urge her to go crazy here," Beckett said.

"Of course not," Castle said simply. "We should join them to make sure my mother doesn't suggest that to her," he said before he took her hand and pulled her to the back to join the others.

* * *

"Where is this store exactly?" Beckett was asking Alexis as they were walking with Julia in between them.

"Right here, there's a boutique I want to take my gram to after, but anyways, to get to that, I pass this store and the last time I was here…" Alexis said, nodding to the display in the window.

"That's a pretty dress," Julia said, smiling a little at the sundress in the store.

"And if your mom's okay with it I want to get it for you," Alexis said.

"You do?" Julia asked, looking up at her. "Why? You gave me good presents on my birthday."

"A souvenir that you can have from San Francisco from your big sister who went to school here," Alexis said, tensing slightly before she slowly glanced at Beckett. Since she'd never really called herself Julia's sister like that since her father had proposed to Julia's mother at Christmas, she wondered what Beckett's reply would be to that.

"That's actually a good idea, is this store local to the city?" she replied. She fought a smile at Alexis' obvious relief, and followed her inside as she glanced back at Castle, seeing he still looked a little startled.

"It can't be a surprise to you, she always wanted a brother or sister growing up," Martha said, having seen her son's expression.

"She never mentioned it," Castle said.

"No, but I could tell," Martha said. "And she took to Julia so quickly; I knew she never really saw her as a friend, but as a little sister of course."

"Of course," Castle said before following his mother into the store.

"Castle," Beckett called to him as she was holding the sundress in her hands while he walked up to her and Alexis. "She wants you to see her first when she tries on the dress."

"Sure, I'm eager to see how it looks on you," he said since Julia had suddenly run up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Come on sweetie," Beckett said, reaching out her hand. "And we'll show Martha and Alexis after." Walking into one of the dressing rooms in the back after Castle had sat at a chair just outside them, she changed Julia quickly and tying the sash around her waist she smiled and said, "Alexis has wonderful taste."

"It's pretty," Julia breathed.

"You're pretty Julia," Beckett said, kissing her cheek. "And you look very sweet. Want to show Castle now?"

"Yes, please," the little girl said, sounding a little nervous. She took her mother's hand and followed her back out to where Castle was sitting; hurrying to run in front of him so he could see her.

"Wow, you look great," he said quickly when he took the dress in. "And so grown up too. Maybe we can wait to get this dress, I'd like her to stay five a little longer," he said to Beckett.

"I think she's got her heart set on it," Beckett said.

"You do like it?" Julia asked, getting his attention.

"I do, you look very grown up but pretty too," Castle said. "I think you should let Alexis get it for you."

"Me too," Julia said. She then hugged Castle around the neck before she went with her mother out to where Martha and Alexis were looking at some shirts.

"It's perfect," Alexis said when she first caught sight of the little girl. "I knew as soon as I saw it that pattern and the colors would go great with your hair."

"I love it, it's pretty," Julia said, turning around once for them. "Will you get it for me?"

"Of course," Alexis said. "See, I told you Gram, she'd love the pattern."

"I wasn't sure," Martha said with a smile. "But that kind of old China pattern suits you Julia; you look fantastic and ready for summer."

"Okay, let's go ahead and get you changed," Beckett said, smiling at their comments as Julia's blush seemed to get deeper with each one. "And maybe I'll buy you a shirt here." She took her daughter's hand and headed back to the dressing rooms, not seeing that Martha and Alexis had followed them.

"Dad, I'm taking Gram to the store I mentioned over there," Alexis told her father, nodding to her left. "Tell Beckett Zara's across from us, she might like it."

"What about the dress?" Castle asked.

"She bought it while Julia was trying it on. Give us a call when you're done," Martha said as they left.

Castle was a little startled at that and their slightly abrupt leave, but he shook himself when Julia ran out to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Hey, why don't we look for that shirt your mom said she'd buy you, that way she can go to a store on her own?" he asked her.

"I want to go with Mommy," Julia said.

"Which she can, but where am I going?" Beckett asked, coming out then. She walked with them to the shirts and looked at her fiancé questioningly as Julia was looking through what was on the table.

"Alexis said to tell you that Zara's here on this floor," Castle said. "Which you like?"

"I do," Beckett said. "I'll take Julia with me; she'll want to go with me anyways. What about you?"

"I don't really have any place to go to," Castle said. "I might just find a chair or bench by Zara, and wait for you."

"You got a new game I'm guessing," Beckett said before Julia got her attention.

"You don't want to shop?" Julia asked when Beckett went to buy the shirt she'd chosen.

"I'm okay," Castle said. "But you really want to go shopping with your mom?"

Julia giggled and nodded, taking Castle's hand before they followed Beckett outside, skipping to keep up with him before he picked her up. "She wants me to help her," she finally said as they neared the store.

"Why?" Castle asked.

"That you'll find out later," Beckett said, taking her daughter from him.

"Can't I get a hint?" Castle asked.

"No, enjoy your game," Beckett replied easily before she walked away from him. Glancing back before she entered the store, she couldn't help smile at his perplexed look before she turned her attention to Julia.

* * *

"Looks like you were successful," Castle said as he walked up to Beckett and Julia.

"Were we really that long?" Beckett asked as they stopped outside the store Alexis and Martha were still in. "Sit down sweetie, you did a lot of walking," she urged Julia, having her sit on a bench they had come to with her bag from the store. She turned to Castle, and was a little surprised to see his expression was troubled. "What is it?" she asked.

"Um, why don't we talk here," Castle said, taking her a little away from Julia.

"Castle, what's going on?" Beckett asked, getting concerned.

"There's something I've been thinking about," Castle said after hesitating slightly. "About the case."

"I know, you've been doing it for a while tonight, it's kind of starting to freak me out," Beckett said.

"Okay, look, when we went to the apartment today, I realized that the knife was planted there. More so after we found out that Price's prints were smeared on it," Castle said.

"I got that too," Beckett replied, glancing over at Julia to make sure she was okay.

"And then I remembered something earlier today at the hospital as we were leaving," Castle said. "Erin Neville's ring was on the floor next to the bed."

"What are you talking about?" Beckett asked, turning back to him.

"I saw a ring there when I knelt down at the same time you did before we found the knife," Castle said. "And it was the same exact ring she dropped leaving the hospital, the same setting, the same stone."

"How do you know it's the same stone and ring?" Beckett immediately said.

"Because I know what I saw, I only forgot about it because I didn't think enough about it to pick it up. I thought it was the vic's and then we found the knife," Castle said, not surprised she was already questioning him. "But think about it Beckett, Neville was there, and she was the last one out of the room before we went in."

"So because of a ring that looks similar to the one you saw, and because she; a detective walking through a crime scene; was the last one out of the room where we found the knife, you're automatically naming her the accomplice," Beckett said. When he didn't reply, she made an exasperated sound in the back of her throat and started to turn away.

"Look, I know it doesn't sound plausible," Castle said.

"You're right," Beckett said, turning to him as she'd seen Julia was watching them. "So do you have any other kind of evidence or is that it?"

"She knew them, the Prices, from work, and she called the wife Barbara when we were talking to her," Castle said.

"Circumstantial, really Castle, they knew each other so why wouldn't she have called the vic by her first name," Beckett said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I just talked to Ryan," he finally said. "And I think it was pretty obvious they knew each other more than just their jobs." He handed Beckett his phone, and watched as she looked down at the picture that their partner had sent him.

"When was this taken?" Beckett asked, looking up at him.

"The day before the vic got the abortion," Castle said.

"And you realize there's probably an explanation for this," Beckett said simply. She handed him his phone back, trying to shake the image of the vic and Neville in an embrace that was more than just between two colleagues. "They could have run into each other by accident, being in the city for two very different reasons."

"Circumstantial," Castle said quickly.

"No, because I'm looking at the evidence you're giving me, and I have nothing solid that I would even use to arrest her," Beckett snapped at him.

"And what I'm giving you is enough to look at her as a suspect," Castle said trying to control his anger.

"Where are you getting all of this? Because this is too weak for any kind of case," Beckett said angrily, forgetting Julia was near them. "If this were our case I would not be able to get an arrest warrant, or else hold her for longer than twenty-four hours with what you're telling me."

"I'm not asking you to do that. I told you because I thought you would tell Markowitz," Castle said, losing control of his tempter then. "So he can look into her."

"He would have the exact same reaction I did," Beckett said. "Unless you can give me anything better than what you have right now, I think I should go."

"Look, I know she's your friend, but she's too close to this case and everything I'm seeing is too coincidental," Castle said. "And there's no coincidence in murder remember? Why aren't you seeing that Neville is the woman who was with the vic and killer? That she had the killer get rid of the body in the rug from the apartment to tie it to Price. That she planted the knife with the prints which she could easily get, and she obviously stole that bag of opium. Also, she let the killer beat her up to throw off suspicion on her; why else would she have us tell our story first? She wanted to blame Price for the beating if we hadn't been with him at the time. She was being careful she didn't make a mistake and say it was him for sure because she had no idea where he was at the time until we came in and told her."

"No, what I think is happening is you're latching on to what seems like the most obvious suspect to you," Beckett said simply. "Because you got some kind of weird feeling when you met her you're going back to that. I would rather focus on the ME, and the pictures that have been lost from the site instead of hearing you accuse Erin. And since that's the case, we really have nothing else to say that's going to resolve this disagreement."

"Kate, where are you… wait," Castle said in frustration when his fiancée turned and walked away.

"Come on Julia," Beckett said, smiling slightly at her daughter as she picked her up.

"But Mommy…" Julia started to say when Beckett headed to the elevators. She hadn't really heard their argument, but had noticed they were angry with each other as they'd spoken. She looked over her shoulder at Castle who was watching them, and at his troubled expression she burst into tears as she realized they were still mad.

Tempted to try and go after them, Castle turned, to tell his mother and Alexis, when he saw they were standing behind him, looking a little surprised. "How much of that did you hear?" he asked, sitting on the bench Julia had been on.

"Enough to know you didn't exactly make your case kiddo," Martha said, standing next to him and resting her hand on his shoulder.  
"This is like Damien Westlake all over again," Castle said with a slight groan. "Except now I know what Beckett was going through when I kept saying he wasn't the killer even with what evidence she had."

"She might remember that," Alexis said.

"Unfortunately this time Detective Neville is definitely involved," Castle said. "If you heard our conversation you heard what I said."

"The evidence, but are you sure the ring was the same that she dropped?" Martha asked, sitting next to him.

"I don't know, it looks a hell of a lot like the one I found," Castle said. "And I forgot to say that Neville did go back to the apartment after we'd left. Also, when we left I looked back at her; she had this smirk on her face… But of course Beckett would have said that was me and that weird feeling I got from her when I first met her." He groaned slightly again and said, "Why didn't I show her that picture first?"

"I don't know Dad, this hug…" Alexis said, looking at said picture on his phone. "Were there any other pictures in the city of them?"

"Ryan said he was going to look for more and more information on what exactly her friend was doing in the city," Castle said. "But he's probably going to wait for morning because…" he started to say when his phone rang; alerting him that he had a text. "Yeah, he's heading home, but, he found another picture. Down the street from the first one." He opened the attachment, and sighed deeply when he saw it was of the vic and Beckett's friend arguing.

"Well, next time you talk to her, you can show her that," Alexis said slowly, watching him.

"I still don't think she'd believe me. I learned the hard way that old friends aren't what they seem; I don't want her to go through what I did. But I can't refute everything I'm getting against Neville, it's piling up," Castle said. He stood up and then said, "I don't think we'll be talking for a while actually."

"You can't know that Richard, you heard Julia as they were leaving," Martha pointed out. When her son closed his eyes for a moment she said, "There's something you should consider, you mentioned old friends. I think this is a case of Beckett thinking she knows Detective Neville enough to not consider her as a suspect and you not knowing her enough to be able to think her capable of participating in the murder."

Castle nodded and said, "I think I need a drink, badly. Let me take you two back to the hotel. If you see Beckett at all tonight…"

"Do you want us to tell her where you are?" Alexis asked, a little surprised at her dad's reluctance as he trailed off.

"Tell her whatever you want," was all that Castle said before they walked over to the escalators, unsure of what they'd say if they did see his fiancée that night. Standing behind them on the stairs down, he found himself going over everything he'd been able to discover about Neville, and he got out his phone. If Beckett wasn't going to believe him, he had only one other option that was his last resort.

* * *

Sitting at a table in the back of the bar in the Westin St. Francis, Castle was looking at his dark phone screen, debating yet again if he should bother opening it. He closed his hand around it finally, and slipped it into his pocket before he looked down into the amber liquid of his scotch, seeing his reflection at the surface, the ice long since melted away. He spun the drink to break up his image, and leaned back, pausing as he did so.

"I'd ask to buy you a drink, but I heard from the bartender you've been nursing that for the past two hours," Beckett said carefully, watching him as she stood in front of his table. "I think it's starting to annoy him."

"I left him a big enough tip, so what he thinks is the least of my concern," Castle said. "You can sit," he said, glancing up at her. He was a little surprised when she went around to sit next to him instead of across from him, and he turned to her hopefully, ready to speak when she beat him to it.

"I'm sorry," Beckett said quickly. "I was letting my personal feelings get in the way of this case and what you've found. And I realized that this is the Westlake case again."

"It is, just, roles are reversed, but I'm sorry for not trying to explain myself better," Castle said, holding out the glass to her as he could tell she looked a little strained. "And you were right, there's something about her that makes me suspect her easily. But my mother said something after you left and it was that you think you know Neville because of your time at Stanford, but I don't know her at all."

"Which makes me more likely to think your theory is crazy, and you to think she could be involved," Beckett said simply. "She's right, I was thinking along those lines. And something else, I only knew her while I was here for college; I haven't seen her since then. She could be wildly different, and if what you've found does implicate her, then she definitely is."

"So where does that leave us exactly; I'm not talking about the case," Castle said, taking the glass from her after she'd sipped a few times; taking a sip himself.

"For us ourselves, we're fine," Beckett said. "This was… a misunderstanding which we need to forget about if we're going to close the case, or help the SFPD close it, and get back to our vacation. Speaking of that, I got a text from Markowitz," she said, handing him her phone.

Reading it, Castle saw the man had mentioned his text to him earlier about Neville being a suspect and he glanced at his fiancée. "I had to tell him what I found," he told her.

"And I'm glad you did, she needs to be looked at as Markowitz said he's doing now," Beckett said. "I remembered that too since I left you; you don't exclude someone just because you're friends with them."

"Yeah," Castle said, reading the rest of the text and scrolling down as it was divided into two. "They found another woman," he commented.

"They did, so that makes four people that are possibly suspects," Beckett said. "Three of them from the ME who've left the job; which explains why those pictures were taken off the site, the killer and his accomplice are trying to throw us off."

"And Neville," Castle said slowly.

"And Erin, yes," Beckett said. "Read the rest of the message," she urged him.

"The female suspect from the ME has a boat out at Fisherman's Wharf, a slip next to Hyde Street Pier, and he wants us with him to search it tomorrow morning when they get a warrant," Castle said. "Okay, so let's hope they'll go to the museum later so we can join them."

"So you want to continue," Beckett said simply.

"If you'll be there, so will I," Castle said simply back. He looked over at her as she took his hand, and he entwined their fingers together to squeeze gently. "How's Julia?" he asked.

"She was crying for a while, I took her to the kids room down on the first floor, but she didn't want to play, so I took her up to the suite. I had to spend a long time getting her to bed," Beckett said with a sigh. "She's terrified now that we're going to go home while you stay here."

"I don't blame her," Castle said. "We've never really argued like that in front of her before. Little disagreements, yes, but nothing like earlier."

"I know, and no child likes seeing their parents fighting," Beckett said.

"No," Castle said simply. He squeezed her hand again before letting it go, saying, "Why don't we head up to our room and I can try and explain to you what I found… if that's okay with you."

"It is, I need to see what you have, and in a better setting than a mall," Beckett said as they got up.

"Luckily we were pretty much alone for that, except Julia, Alexis and my mother," Castle said, shaking his head.

"I know they told me they'd heard most of what we said," Beckett said.

"Julia didn't hear us did she?" Castle asked as they left the bar.

"No, she could only tell we were arguing," Beckett replied.

"Do you mind if I see her before we head to our room?" Castle asked.

"No, I would like to see her again too," Beckett said as they walked into an elevator in the lobby.

Back on their floor, Castle led the way to the other suite, knocking on the door as he kept Beckett's hand in his. He wasn't surprised when Alexis opened the door, but was at her shocked expression that flashed over her face for a moment when she saw they were together and had glanced at their joined hands.

"Come in," the young woman said, recovering quickly. "So… are things set?" she asked, looking at her grandmother who was standing up from the couch they'd been watching a movie together on.

"They are," Beckett said. "But unfortunately we're still not finished with the case."

"We need to go somewhere in the morning with Detective Markowitz," Castle explained.

"So do you want us to wait for you?" Alexis asked.

"Considering we have no idea what's going to happen, no," Beckett said, glancing at Castle who reluctantly nodded. "Go ahead to the museum with Julia; without us if we're not back by ten. Is she still asleep?"

"As far as we know, we haven't heard a thing from her since you left," Martha said.

"We're just going to check on her and head back to our room," Castle said as he followed Beckett over to the door to Alexis and Julia's room.

"Julia?" Beckett asked in surprise as she slid the door to find her daughter sitting in the middle of the bed, her back to them as she rocked back and forth. "Sweetie, what did you do to your clothes," she said, looking at the items that had been thrown around the room. She walked around the bed, and grabbed Julia before she could turn around. "Julia-" she began.

"I don't want to go home! I want you to have to fix my clothes and we miss the plane," Julia said angrily before she started crying again, burying her face into the top of her Stitch doll.

"You're not going home," Castle said, picking up a dress and shirt before setting them on the dresser.

"But you were fighting," Julia said, looking surprised to see him.

"We were, but we stopped," Beckett assured her as Castle sat next to her. She let Julia go so she could hug him, and she stroked her daughter's hair saying, "And we're not angry with each other anymore."

"Oh, that's good. I didn't want you not to wear your ring Mommy," Julia whispered after she looked up at Castle and he nodded in agreement. She bit her lower lip and said, "I'm sorry I threw my clothes."

"I'm not exactly happy you did, but I don't blame you for doing that," Beckett said. "We scared you I think."

"A little," Julia admitted before she wrapped her arms around her mother's neck as she leaned over.

"But now you know we're done fighting," Beckett said. "And because you do, you really need to get some sleep." She stood up with Julia in her arms and tucked her in before letting Castle say goodnight to her.

"Are you gonna work again?" Julia asked after she and Castle kissed each other's cheek.

"We are, but just for tomorrow, after that we'll go through the rest of the city with you," Castle promised.

"Do you go together?" Julia said. When they both nodded she breathed out and said, "That's good, but you won't fight there right?"

"We'll try not to," Castle said. "Good night Julia, I love you." He smiled slightly when she nodded and then watched Beckett repeat her goodnight to her daughter.

Directing Castle to help her pick up Julia's clothes, Beckett kept her eye on her daughter as she watched them, her wide green eyes slowly drooping closed until they stayed shut after they had finished. When they were sure the little girl was asleep, Beckett led the way out of the room after they put the last of the clothes on top of the dresser, folded neatly with the rest. Sliding the door behind them she waited until it was closed to say to Martha and Alexis, "She had thrown her clothes all over the room. But she's asleep again; I'm just hoping she'll stay asleep."

"She did that?" Alexis asked. "Well, I'm not surprised; she was crying still when you came in with her."

"Is she alright now she's seen you two have made up?" Martha asked. "You've made up right?"

"We have," Castle said simply. "And she's fine now; she went to sleep pretty quickly."

"So she'll be okay to go to the museum tomorrow," Beckett told them. "And let her pick her outfit from the clothes on the dresser, I'll put them away tomorrow when I'll hopefully have some time to do so."

"Are you going that early you can't have breakfast with us?" Martha asked.

"Markowitz wants us to meet him down there at eight, and we figure the sooner we go the sooner we can be done," Castle said. "And I mean literally, finished, case closed."

"We got it Dad, we're hoping you finish too," Alexis commented.

"I'm sorry we decided to help," Beckett said, frowning then.

"It's alright darling, I would have been shocked if you said no," Martha said, waving her hand. "For now go and get some rest before you need to wake up at that ungodly hour."

"Thank you again for taking her, let her take as many pictures as she can-" Beckett began.

"Because we want to see what you guys see, oh and the same with the painting you want to write your essay about," Castle told his daughter.

Calling goodnight to them, Beckett left with him then, and as they were walking to their suite she said, "She was afraid one of us was going to call off the engagement."

"So she's accepted me that much," Castle replied.

"Yes, you know she considers you her father," Beckett said pointedly. "But since she's never had one it's still a little confusing. But I think also she wants you to be part of my life. Do you remember at Christmas when she was afraid you wouldn't like my gifts I got you?"

"You make a good point," Castle said, pausing as he was opening the door to their room. "And Mother said she was worried about me too when we were stuck on Alcatraz last night."

"Just give her a little time to reply to your I love you verbally," Beckett said, a little concerned still that that bothered him.

"Which is what I'm doing," Castle said, letting her go inside first. When he turned to her after setting the do not disturb sign on the door, he was a little startled when she hugged him tightly. But he recovered as quickly as he could and held her to him saying, "I accepted your apology already, but this is pretty nice too."

"I'm not surprised, let's hope I didn't make a mistake denying your theory," Beckett said as she pulled away. "Tell me what you have on Detective Neville."

Castle was surprised at that, but then nodded, knowing she was serious not calling her friend by her first name. He followed her over to the table where she got him a pad of paper with the hotel's name on it and a pen. "This is for Markowitz?" he asked.

"You already had the idea before we came in," Beckett retorted with a slight smile before she slid her chair next to him.

"Alright, I'm disregarding my uneasy feeling when we first met her," Castle said. "But the first thing is she knew we were going to Alcatraz, you mentioned it to her as they were leaving here the night they asked us to help them."

"Right, she could have told the killer," Beckett said, nodding. "And it would have taken little time for them to work out a plan; we were on an island of course."

"And after that is the apartment," Castle said. "First, she went with the SWAT team but didn't come out until well after you and I were inside. Where she had gloves on, easy enough to transport the bloody knife in a bag to leave there for us or CSU to find."

"Or it was there already," Beckett pointed out. "All she needed to do was get it out of wherever they hid it after the murder. But with Price's fingerprints on there, it's more likely she took it, planted the prints and planted the knife once they found the apartment. Then it depends on who found the apartment; her or Markowitz."

"They didn't find other DNA at the apartment did they?" Castle asked.

"No, they cleaned up after themselves, and not just the bathroom and shower, the entire place," Beckett said. "The SFPD is lucky they got those hairs from the vic's body."

"So her DNA might not be in the system," Castle commented.

"No, but if she's a suspect…" Beckett began. "So with the knife is that ring."

"I know you think I'm seeing just a simple, common ring, but I remembered it, the setting was five prongs," Castle insisted. "Which is creepy, pentagram shaped-"

"I thought those weren't supposed to be evil," Beckett commented.

Smiling slightly at that, Castle then said, "And the ruby was pretty small, about this big," sketching out the ring a little for her. "I'm not an artist but maybe Markowitz has seen the ring before."

"He might be able to ID it," Beckett mused. "There's one thing about Neville being beat up that bothers me."

"What?" Castle asked, again startled to hear her using her friend's last name only that time. But it came with a small amount of relief since he knew it meant she was starting to believe him.

"The wounds were fairly superficial. The stitches she mentioned were only about two," Beckett said. "And the bruising was minimal, I've had worse."

"So it was staged," Castle said simply.

Beckett didn't say anything and instead stood, pacing between the table and couch. "There's a part of me that wonders what the hell I'm thinking, I knew this woman. She was a good friend when I was at Stanford and now I'm considering she might be capable of murder. Or participating in everything that's happened in this case."

"You have a reason to think that," Castle said quickly. "She's your friend. But, there is that other woman who's a possible suspect. Did Markowitz give you a name?"

"He wants to keep that quiet I'm assuming," Beckett said. "We'll find out tomorrow. Though you want to search her name?"

"I'll text him," Castle said, turning on his phone. He waited for it to start up and then said, "There's the picture too. And this one I forgot to show you," handing her his phone with the picture of the vic and Neville on the screen.

"I'm not so sure of the first one still, less concrete than the ring. And there's not really any way we can know what they were arguing about here," Beckett said.

"You're right, she could just be greeting her friend and then a simple disagreement, we don't know. We'd have to ask her herself, and I can't imagine her answering us," Castle said, looking at the picture again. "And Ryan will send me anything else tomorrow he finds." He typed out a text quickly, and then set the phone aside, standing up.

"Something you have in mind now," Beckett asked as he held his hand out to her.

"The text didn't go through; the problems with the towers still I'm sure," Castle said. "For now why don't we take a very long bath; we never got one earlier; and then… we'll see how things go from there." He wasn't sure how that would be received, so he waited for her reply, taken aback by what she did instead of said.

Kissing him deeply, as she was still a little unsettled by their argument earlier, Beckett felt Castle's arms wrap around her tightly before pulling her to him. She let that go on for as long as she could before she needed to breathe, a sense of relief at his response going through her. "I'll be waiting," she said, smiling at him before she walked around him to the bedroom.

Breathing out slowly, Castle turned and strode after her, trying not to start outright running. Catching up with her, he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close as they kissed, stepping from the wood floor to the cool tiles of the bathroom. They never broke their kiss as he closed that door firmly behind them, pulling her to him and wrapping both arms around her tightly as she did the same.


	8. Into The Ocean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Turned Out by Paul McCartney, from the deluxe version of his album New.

"Good morning folks," the older man said to Castle and Beckett as they approached the entrance to the pier he was coming out of.

"Have the San Francisco Police been here yet?" Beckett asked.

"The police? Oh, that's right, they're down at the ship on the end, said to let you two right in," the man said, standing aside for them. "Told you to head on board as soon as you got here."

"Thanks," Castle said, looking down at his phone. "Nothing," he told Beckett as they walked past the empty berths and ships parked at the pier.

"How's your reception?" Beckett asked.

"Right now it's gone, but why the hell he won't answer when he seemed so interested last night I don't know," Castle said, shaking his head. He slipped his phone into his pocket and looked ahead at the ship they were heading to. "Not bad, I wouldn't mind living on the ship too."

"If she's our accomplice, then she's pretty brazen," Beckett commented as they neared the boat.

"True, I would have been long gone by now," Castle said. "Though I'm sure they could have tracked her."

Beckett didn't answer, seeing someone moving around on the boat. "I think that's Markowitz," she told him, seeing a figure that looked like the man walking past the windows.

"After you," Castle said when they reached the steps. "Think they used the SWAT team here?" he asked when they were on deck.

"Unlikely, though I wonder why Markowitz didn't wait for us," Beckett said, feeling a little uneasy. She heard someone moving below, and she looked at Castle saying, "I'll head down, look around and see if he's up here."

Nodding, Castle waited to watch Beckett go down the steps, but hesitated to leave; wanting to make sure she would be okay. He waited a little, and when he heard her calling out the detective's name, he finally turned and went to the wheelhouse.

"Detective?" Beckett asked, coming into the bedroom at the bow. She heard curtains flapping in the wind coming in from an open porthole, and saw there was a leg sticking out of a bunk on the side of the wall. She ran to it, parting the curtain covering the bed there since she was wearing gloves for the cold. Seeing the body of a woman with long brown hair, she breathed in slightly, and then reached down to check her pulse.

"Kate, we need to go," Castle said, running down the steps. "Kate?" he asked when she didn't answer. He turned and saw her in the room down the hall, going to her. "We have to go, there's a man in the wheelhouse, a suicide note next to his body; bullet under his chin."

"Same with her," Beckett said, nodding to the woman. "Her note," she told him, holding up a piece of paper which she'd been reading. "What does the man look like?"

"Like the sketch, the one without the strange eyebrow," Castle said as she set the paper down. He took her arm and led her up on deck before they got back onto the pier.

"They killed them, even if they forced them to commit suicide," Beckett said as they started to walk quickly back to the gate. "Erin, you didn't think we'd see that," she said under her breath angrily.

"So you figured things out I guess," a voice said behind the two. When they abruptly stopped and turned around, Neville said, "But then it doesn't matter what you think, things'll be wrapped up shortly. Are we ready Luther?"

Looking back the way they'd come, Castle and Beckett weren't too surprised to see the man that had trapped them on Alcatraz, and who had been at the hospital the day before, was standing behind them with a gun. Though it was pointed away from them, his finger was on the trigger and they knew he could aim it at them in a short amount of time.

Hearing the creak of the wood of the dock, Beckett turned and staggered back as she was suddenly slapped in face with the back of a hand. She looked up at her friend, Neville lowering her hand as she could feel blood trickling slowly from her nose.

"Turn around," Neville said, pointing the gun quickly in Castle's face as he started to lurch towards her. "Put those on her now, is the boat ready?" she asked as she handed a pair of handcuffs to him, directing the question to the killer.

While Neville was looking over at the man she was calling Luther, Castle started to move, intending to get her gun. But she turned to look at him the second the wood underneath their feet creaked at his moment, and she took a single step forward.

Groaning out in pain as Neville took a hunk of her hair on the back of her head and pulled to tilt her head back, Beckett felt the muzzle of the gun against her chin.

"I'm looking for the excuse, but I would prefer to go along with our plan," Neville nearly hissed at Castle. "Put the handcuffs on her, now."

Nodding, to get her to let go of his fiancée, Castle took Beckett's wrists and whispered an earnest, "I'm sorry," hesitating as long as he dared before starting to close the first cuff around her left wrist.

"Luther," Neville said once she had heard the click of both handcuffs. She looked on as the man handcuffed Castle and also kept an eye on Beckett. "We really could have had this set. I would have been gone the second I was finished at Union Square, but you had to come along. Though, I guess I should thank fate for giving me this chance. Something I always wanted to do. Let's go."

* * *

"Okay?" Castle whispered as they were huddled close together, trying to withstand the constant gusty winds.

"I don't know," Beckett said. "If we get back to the city then yes. I… I didn't know she hated me."

"I don't think anyone knew," Castle said. He was quiet as Luther walked over towards them and he tried to put himself in front of Beckett. When the man stepped back enough, he whispered to her, "We couldn't try?"

"I told you no," Beckett said before leaning over to spit out the last of the blood that had gotten into her mouth. As they'd gotten on the yacht, Neville had slapped her again, shoving her face first to the deck, a scrape accompanying the bloody nose she had. "We could knock them out, but without any way to get the handcuffs off…"

"Believe me, I wouldn't recommend trying," Neville said, walking over to them then. "Luther, drive, I can take care of them."

"Is she set for now," the man asked.

"She's set," Neville said. She looked on and watched as he tried to hit Castle with the butt of his gun, but she called out, "Enough, you'll probably have a chance later to do worse."

"Idiot clocked me on Alcatraz," Luther said. He then punched at Castle as he was getting up from ducking his hit; that time connecting with his jaw and knocking him back.

"Luther, you need to drive the boat," Neville said sharply. "I'll handle them."

"Why are you doing this?" Castle asked as he got back up, assuring Beckett he was okay. "Or let her go, you know she has a daughter, let her go back to her daughter and just take me as hostage."

"Wow, your reputation is horrible if you're thinking that," Neville said with a slight smirk. "We're not taking you as hostages. And I could care less you're a mother Beckett."

Hearing the sudden rage there, Beckett had a sudden realization and said, "So you knew she was going to abort the baby."

"Yeah, from the pictures you sent Markowitz I guess you saw our argument about that. Barbara was so scared the baby was Luther's, and I could have cared less, it was our baby; the four of us," Neville said. "But it doesn't matter now, they'll think it was those two on the boat who were behind all of this, and Luther and I will be free to find others."

Swallowing hard as she walked back around them and was out of hearing range, Beckett whispered, "So Markowitz has no idea where we are. But… your mom and Alexis do."

Castle merely nodded, knowing she was trying to be optimistic, though they both knew no one was worried about them at that moment except themselves. "You'll get out of this," he told her, thinking of Julia who had no idea that her mother had been at risk the moment she had stepped out onto Union Square. "I'll make sure."

"No, not without you Castle, don't ask me to do that again," Beckett said in slight panic and a little frustration as she couldn't help remember Flight 139.

"And here we are," Neville said from behind the two. "Beautiful Alcatraz."

Looking ahead of them, Castle and Beckett saw that they were at the island, on the northern side of it. They stood up at the same time, looking for the ferry boats that might report to the Coast Guard about the yacht they were on.

"We're drifting unfortunately," Luther said sarcastically, coming out of the wheelhouse and seeing the two scanning the water. "And our rudder is stuck at the moment. But we're working to fix it. Get to the railing," he said shoving Castle with one hand to the left.

"Up on the boxes," Neville said, pushing Beckett to the side with her gun. "Alright, the water is pretty choppy today," she said once Castle and Beckett were standing almost even with the railings on boxes they'd placed there before kidnapping the two. "And cold of course." She cocked the gun as Luther did the same next to her and said, "Jump." When the two hesitated she made an exasperated noise in the back of her throat and said, "Jump!" before she hit Beckett on the back with her gun to edge her forward.

Glancing at Castle as she managed to stop herself from toppling over, Beckett took a step up onto the railing, keeping one foot on the box as the boat was moving in the water. She looked back at Neville and Luther, thinking for a moment they could jump on them, but knew immediately it would be impossible. The killer was standing enough behind Neville that he would easily shoot them as they were falling onto her. Glancing down into the waves which were far below them she turned to her fiancé with a sense of despair as she could see no way out, and barely whispered, "I love you."

Castle opened his mouth, but hesitated, looking down quickly before saying, "I love you too."

"Cute, can we just shoot them now Erin?" Luther sneered.

"No, but she can get off the fucking boat now," Neville snarled as she stepped up onto the box, kicking out and planting her foot square into Beckett's back, knocking her off the ship.

Without time to react, Beckett could only struggle in the few seconds she had to straighten out, but she hit the water at an angle, and nearly choked on the frigid water of the bay as it went up her nose. The cold was instant and sharp though she was wearing a heavy coat and the water was murky as it enveloped her. Her hands still cuffed behind her back, she was kicking her legs as hard as she could, looking up at the rays breaking through the surface as she could see they were getting further from her since she couldn't fight the current and her coat was absorbing the bay waters, starting to weigh her down.

Not waiting for the two to push him off the boat as well, Castle leapt off the railing, hitting the water hard. The rush of cold nearly knocked the wind out of him, but he tried to recover as quickly as he could and struggled with the cuffs on his left wrist as he tried to fight the weight of his wet clothes dragging him further under and overpowering his legs trying to tread the water. His handcuff key snapped the cuff open, and he shot up to the surface as fast as he could, taking as rapid a gasp of air as he could before he plunged back into the water, the key in his smallest pocket of his jeans.

Sinking steadily as her legs were quickly growing numb, Beckett could almost see her life flashing before her eyes. She tried to get a second wind as she thought of her daughter and her fiancé, but her lungs burned, and she couldn't fight the darkness reaching for her; letting herself go. She almost didn't feel the arms around her waist, but when Castle crushed his lips to hers, passing her a breath she sucked it in and let him carry her back up as she came back to herself. Kicking her legs, she could feel him doing something with the handcuffs on her and she realized he'd gotten his off somehow. The second he had one free from her right wrist, they broke the surface and she coughed out the water that had managed to get into her lungs.

"Are you okay?" Castle coughed, holding her up though she was able to tread the water. He hit her back a couple times and said, "Come on, we can make it to the island." Before he could swim in that direction though, there was the sound of a shot, and he jerked back as a bullet sliced the water in front of him.

"Impressive, I thought the Bay would do the work for us," Neville yelled, standing on the island with Luther. "Swim over here now, or I can just shoot you where you are."

Her teeth chattering, Beckett let Castle help her swim over to the shore, feeling a little sluggish, and she saw the raft Neville and the killer had used to get to Alcatraz while they'd been in the water; having to duck under it with Castle as it floated on its mooring rope towards them. She slipped up the rocks that were a small cliff while he pushed her up, and she looked back at Castle as he fell back in the water after placing his foot on a crumbling bit of rock. "O-Okay?" she managed to say, her voice hoarse and slow as she tried to reach back to help him, but was shaking too hard to hold her hand steady enough for him to grab it.

"Fine, glad you are," Castle said as he managed to climb up, holding her behind him then as they stared at Neville and Luther. "We can take them now…" but even as he said that, he could feel her trembling in the wind that was hitting their wet bodies, and he started to shake himself.

"On the ground, right up there on that slope," Neville said, as if she were selecting a place for a picnic. She punched Beckett in the back to get them moving and said, "You are tenacious, I'll give you that."

"You don't want to have her join us?" Luther said then as Castle and Beckett were making their way up the grass incline. "Sedated she'd be good."

"I don't think he'd let you," Neville said, nodding to Castle who'd started to turn back to them as Beckett went visibly pale behind him. She pointed the gun to stop him and then said, "That would be interesting though; after what happened to her in New York last year. But that's a little disgusting; this is as far as she gets with us. I've waited long enough now."

"Alright, get on the ground, right there," Luther yelled.

"Lie down, put your hands behind your backs since you couldn't keep the cuffs on," Neville instructed them further as they got on their knees slowly, still looking back at them.

"I can try myself," Castle said in desperation since the two wouldn't be able to hear him with the wind blowing, pulling his words towards the east and away from them.

"You'll be dead," Beckett whispered.

"Then you'd be able to tell everyone about our engagement," Castle said back, wondering if she was in shock as the fight seemed to go out of her.

"I'm not leaving here without you, I'm not letting Julia and Alexis lose their father," Beckett hissed, making Castle relieved to hear her tone.

Reaching over; though he knew Neville or the killer would yell at him; Castle grabbed her left hand, the sound of two guns being readied loud in the howls of wind. He squeezed her hand tightly, looking from her engagement ring to her eyes, trying to tell her again with his look that he loved her.

Meeting his gaze with what she hoped was the same sentiment; Beckett squeezed his hand tightly, thinking of her daughter and wishing she and Castle had more time yet again. Jerking when there were two quick shots suddenly, she waited for everything to go dark. But when there wasn't even the searing pain of a bullet grazing her, she jumped up saying, "Are you okay?" seeing her fiancé was getting off the ground as well.

"We weren't shot," Castle said in slight surprise as they looked back at Neville and Luther. Both were dead, both shot in the face, and he was about to speak again when there was the sudden sound of someone walking down the slope towards them. He looked up and saw that it was Price; and he had a .45 in hand, pointed at him.

"No!" Beckett yelled when she saw Price's finger on the trigger, trying to push Castle out of the way as he held her back from doing that. But instead of the gun going off, she watched as it turned, and the doctor was pointing it underneath his chin, his eyes closing.

"Wait-" was all that Castle and Beckett were able to say together, Price pulling the trigger cutting them off.

Looking down at the ground as Beckett turned away, Castle glanced at Price, and saw the man had fallen on his back, his blood from the shot that had taken his life staining, seeping into the ground. "So…" he said, glancing back. "You would have taken that shot for me," he said, looking at her as he assumed she was stunned at the turn of events as well.

"Yeah…" Beckett said, looking at the three bodies. "Thank you for saving my life," she said.

"Not a problem, let's get out of here," Castle said as he recovered himself enough to grab her hand and pull her up the slope.

"What the hell happened?" a ranger said, appearing at the top of the slope near the Modern Industries Building. "How…" he began to ask before he saw the two boats and the bodies. When he saw that Castle and Beckett were soaking wet he seemed to guess what had occurred and said, "Come on, let's get you two out of here. I'll get you guys some blankets, and we can call the police."

* * *

Flinching a little as a ranger dabbed some alcohol on her scraped cheek, Beckett looked up as Castle walked into one of the offices the Park Service had in the Visitors Center on Alcatraz. "Okay?" she asked him.

"Doing great, awkwardly dressed, but other than that I'm fine," he answered, looking down at the Alcatraz shirt and sweatpants they'd given him to change into after getting his wet clothes off. "And you?"

"She'll be fine. Just some scrapes which aren't too deep," the ranger said, standing up then as she had finished tending to Beckett's wounds. "You might need to watch with the after affects of some slight hypothermia, especially if you're going to be in a boat with no place to go inside going back to the city. Try and keep as warm as possible from now on," she told them both before she went to the door.

"I will, thank you," Beckett said as Castle sat across from her; where the ranger had been sitting. When they were alone she looked at him and said, "I start to wonder if I made a mistake."

"I don't know," Castle said. "It depends on Markowitz's phone. But I can understand why you had a hard time believing me as I said before."

"I still have a hard time with it, because I had no idea she hated me," Beckett said. "And not badly enough to want to kill me even before I realized she was involved. I honestly never tried to intentionally do something to warrant that."

"I think I can answer why that she wanted to kill you actually," a voice said behind them.

"Detective, you're a hard man to get a hold of," Castle said as the man entered the room and then pulled a chair up to them.

"I am when my partner steals my phone," Markowitz said, looking angry then. "Which she did, pretty shortly after she left for the day, which was… five I would say."

"So you never got my text about Neville being the accomplice last night," Castle said, looking at Beckett. "You don't need to worry about not believing me."

"Did she already plan to kill us," Beckett asked. "Or was that because of his text?"

"She was intending to separate the two of you, and kill just you," Markowitz said. When Beckett looked somewhat shocked at that confirmation as she sat back in her chair he sighed and said, "I'm sorry, I thought I knew her but… she put up a nice façade."

"You're not alone in thinking you knew her," Beckett said. "How do you know her plan?"

"She left a notebook in her apartment that detailed everything she wanted to do from the murder to getting her and Luther Swanson to Tahiti to spend the rest of their lives there. We're not sure why she left it, but we're guessing she forgot it as it was in a drawer with some clothes she hadn't packed with her," Markowitz said. "And killing you was crossed out and rewritten as killing both of you."

"And the motive for them killing Barbara Price?" Castle asked. "Do you have that?"

"We do, I called your partner in NYC, Detective Ryan," Markowitz said. "As he was trying to get a hold of you Mr. Castle and he contacted us. He mentioned talking to a waitress at the café they were arguing in front of in those pictures; the vic and Neville. And she said it was about the abortion, so Neville had found out. And I guess you didn't know this, but she was barren."

"Neville couldn't have kids?" Beckett asked in some shock. But then she thought for a moment and shook her head. "So she was insanely jealous of me," she groaned, putting her face into her hands. "She mentioned not caring I had a daughter; that would explain her saying that."

"So the case is closed," Castle said. "Is it even still your case though?"

"No, they took it off my hands and I'm glad to give it up, because I really don't want to deal with everything she was into. There's a diary you know," Markowitz mentioned to them. "She talked about their… relationship, the four of them. And how she and Swanson were trying to not only make things between them public, but trying to be slightly more dominant in their… I guess you want to call them sessions."

"And Price disagreed, his wife maybe as well," Beckett commented.

"So they decided to end things this way," Castle said. He shook his head and said, "Then they were both out of their minds because they seemed to also love them too, the way Neville would talk."

"Are there entries that are more recent?" Beckett asked slowly.

"There is, yesterday," Markowitz said. He hesitated and then said, "I won't sugar coat it, but I don't want to go into a large amount of detail. It was basically saying they'd been found out by you two and she toyed with the idea of asking you to become the new couple they were… with. But in the end, she wanted you dead and there were a lot of descriptions that I don't need to say concerning you Ms. Beckett."

"About me," Beckett said.

"You both, I think she was jealous of your relationship as well, both professional and personal," Markowitz said. "And Price had a suicide note on him."

"What did it say?" Castle asked, taking Beckett's hand then.

"That he was as guilty as Swanson and Neville, though he had nothing to do with the murder. And he genuinely loved his wife; he found out about the abortion and he didn't want to live without knowing there was a chance he and his wife could have a child together," Markowitz said. "I think he had a mental breakdown, the message was a little garbled, but that's basically the gist of it."

"From what we saw of him, I'm not surprised," Beckett said. "Why are you here if this isn't your case anymore?"

"I was on the yacht that Dr. Fisher and Dr. Holbrook were murdered on; the Pier manager called us; the man who let you through the gate," Markowitz said. "It turns out that Dr. Holbrook is Swanson's cousin and got him a job at the ME as an intern; he's a nurse studying to become a pathologist which explains the cut to the vic's neck. So that's why they look so similar, they're related. Dr. Fisher they only chose because of her hair being similar to Neville's, she had nothing to do with anyone in the case."

"Did she have any family?" Castle asked as he and Beckett exchanged a disgusted look.

"No, I think they might have picked her for that, but not sure if Neville and Swanson would have so much compassion," Markowitz said doubtfully.

"I don't either," Beckett said, remembering how her old friend had spoken and acted with her.

"But when we saw them we thought they were suicides at first and our killer and accomplice, but, the call from the ranger here changed that of course. And when they told me what had happened to you both I had to come and see if you were okay. Are you?"

"As okay as we can be, being forced off the boat at gunpoint-" Castle started to say.

"Or kicked off," Beckett muttered.

"Into San Francisco Bay is not fun," Castle finished, looking at her.

"You were unarmed," Markowitz said, hearing her tone of voice.

"Oh I know, I just blame myself for not seeing Neville complicity sooner, but…" Beckett said, trailing off. "Can we leave? I'd like to get back to the city and our family."

"I'll see if the boat is ready to get you, they're still ferrying in the tourists," Markowitz said, standing. "And Swanson actually used to work here. It's why he lured you down to the New Industries Building; he knew it pretty well from maintaining it and the Model Industries Building."

"That would make sense," Castle said. "Thank you Detective."

"I'll be riding back with you, but thanks to you both for what you did to help us. I know the city thanks you; I'll make sure the mayor does too," the detective replied.

When they were alone, Castle turned to Beckett but before he could speak she beat him to it saying, "I know, there was no way I could have known about Neville, but, I can't help but blame myself partially. Especially since I was close to drowning if you hadn't been able to get your key."

"Don't ask how, but I managed to slip it from my money clip; I didn't bring my wallet today," Castle said. "But I had that key attached to it, and while they were distracted on the boat I got it out of my back pocket. I was lucky I managed to get it into one of the keyholes."

"We both were," Beckett said before she saw that Markowitz was coming back.

"We can go if you're ready," the detective told them.

"Um, what about our clothes?" Castle asked.

"Here," the ranger who'd helped Beckett said coming up behind Markowitz. "We have another heater and managed not to burn them though they're still pretty damp."

"Do you want these clothes back?" Beckett said, tugging the bottom of her Alcatraz shirt she'd been given.

"Keep them," the ranger replied. "Since they're pretty much yours now."

Going into the back pocket of his jeans, Castle pulled out some cash that was mostly dry and said, "Would you take this?"

"Sure," the ranger said, a little surprised at that.

Walking out of the Visitor's Center, Beckett pulled her blanket she'd been given a little tighter around her as the tourists they passed were looking at her and Castle strangely. "Does your phone still work?" she asked him.

"Yours?" Castle asked, shaking his head. When she'd done the same he said, "No reception." He didn't blame her for her exasperated sigh, and said, "They'll be back soon I'm sure, they want to head out to dinner. But think about this, we're finished with the case and tomorrow we can go into our vacation full throttle."

Giving him at look at how he worded that, Beckett didn't answer until they were onboard the SFPD ship that had brought the officers, ME and CSU team to the island. As they were on their way, looking back at Alcatraz she commented, "You're right, which I'm looking forward to, but I don't really think I can look at it anymore," she nodded to the island before turning to go below deck where they'd been told was a small galley.

Castle couldn't help remain where he was, looking back at Alcatraz though the wind was biting through the blanket wrapped around him. He breathed out slightly as he could remember that moment seeing Beckett slipping further into the dark, murky water of the bay, and he nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Come on," Beckett said, smiling slightly as she took his hand and tugged on it gently to get him to look away.

A final glance and Castle let her lead the way below deck, putting the memory of her drowning in front of him out of his mind. He entwined their fingers, squeezing gently before Beckett stopped and turned to him. Almost at the same time, they leaned towards each other and shared a brief kiss in relief and as a reassurance. Relief in the fact that they had managed to make it off Alcatraz alive together and to drive home the point that they were still alive. They continued on to the galley once they had parted, not letting go of the other's hand, trying already to forget what they had gone through since stepping onto the dock at Fisherman's Wharf.


	9. Appreciate The Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Appreciate by Paul McCartney, from his album New.

_The water was swirling with darkness, long tendrils snaking around her arm and fingers. The diamonds on the silver band becoming glittering oil as she reached out for help. Her eyes were wide and she was sinking further though her hands were not bound. A kick of the leg merely disturbing the pattern of the black and blue bay waters as more darkness slithered up her limb, pulling her, jerking her down. Her hair was becoming inundated with black, the brown strands losing their luster in the inky color the water was becoming. The brown of her eyes disappearing quickly as she was looking up, the last reflection of the sun slowly fading as she sank further, out of reach._

_Her mouth opened, and she mouthed a single name before there was a solitary whisper. Impossible in that darkness that had taken over every inch of her body, leaving nothing._

_"Castle…"_

_"Castle…"_

_"Castle_ ,wake up."

Opening his eyes as he realized that was not part of his dream, Castle looked up to see his fiancée was sitting next to him, looking at him in concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice a little thick with sleep.  
"You, you were groaning my name," Beckett said. "Was it a-"

"Not that kind of dream," Castle said, rubbing his eyes. "I dreamt of you drowning, but… it was not like it was in the bay. You were being taken over by… black, it was bizarre and a little frustrating because I couldn't move, so I guess I was drowning too."

"Well, that was about five hours ago," Beckett said slowly. "And at least you did sleep."

"That's true, and you?" Castle asked, seeing she had one of the extra blankets the room had wrapped around her.

"I slept," Beckett said simply.

"But you're still cold," Castle said quickly. "Here," he told her, pulling the end of the blanket so she would let go of it. He took the blanket and wrapped it around himself before she slid into his hold and he closed the white fabric around her. "Better?"

"I will be, give me a minute," Beckett said, leaning against him. "You got a text from Alexis; they're coming back from City Hall."

"Great, so, are we telling them what happened?" Castle asked her.

"Not Julia, but your mom and Alexis yes because they might notice us like this," Beckett said.

"They don't have a key," Castle said simply. "But are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Beckett said, knowing already what he was referencing. "You really didn't have much choice I know."

"Yeah, but you didn't have any nightmares at least," Castle pointed out.

"I think surviving that shook anything I might have dreamed about," Beckett said. "But it didn't seem to work for you."

"I'll be okay, but if I have that same dream again I'm going to have a problem," Castle said. "Warmer?"

"Yes, now, you mentioned our vacation and since we're back here in the city I'd like to turn our attention back-" Beckett started to say when there was a flurry of knocking on the door.

Castle couldn't help but smile as he and Beckett quickly got out of the blanket and rushed over since they knew that was Julia. He let his fiancée open the door first, watching as she scooped her daughter up and hugged her tightly.

"Oh sweetie, I'm so glad to see you," Beckett was unable to stop herself from saying; since it was true. She kissed her daughter's temple, hoping she wouldn't ask why she'd said that.

"Mommy, you should have come to see the museum," Julia said, her words bursting out of her in her eagerness. "Are you kay?" she then asked, noticing the scrape on her mother's face.

"I'm fine and I'm sorry we didn't go," Beckett said, turning to let Alexis and Martha into the suite. "But we're finished with the case we were helping with, and we'll be able to go tomorrow to the zoo," she finished looking at Castle's daughter, who was hugging her father; and who nodded and smiled at Beckett's unasked question. "But tell us all about it okay."

"Kay, we went to see the art, and it was all from countries from Asia," Julia began as her mother set her down. Before she said anything else, she ran to Castle who picked her up as she hugged him tightly around the neck before he hugged her back. "And there were lots of things, like statues, and swords and wood that was carved very pretty. There were jewelries too, but your necklace is prettier Mommy."

"Thank you sweetie, did you take pictures?" Beckett asked, sitting down on the couch before Castle sat next to her.

"A lot of them, I believe she took a picture of everything we saw," Martha commented as she and Alexis sat at the table.

"Like the flowers on Alcatraz," Alexis commented. She was a little surprised when her dad and Beckett seemed to visibly tense for a moment, and she looked at him questioningly.

Shaking his head quickly, Castle said, "Does she have the cable to connect her camera to a TV?"

"She does, it's in their suite actually," Beckett said. She then leaned over to him and whispered as softly as she could into his ear, "You should tell them now." She stood up then and said, "Come on Julia, let's go get the cord, and you can show us your pictures. We'll be right back."

Once the two were gone Martha turned to her son and said, "So something happened I take it, Beckett looks a little… shocked almost; along with that scrape."

Taking a deep breath, Castle then proceeded to explain to the two what had happened at Fisherman's Wharf, leading up to Alcatraz. "So we're finished with the case, and in the end we owe our lives to Grady Price," he ended with.

"I can't believe her own friend would want to kill her," Martha said in disbelief.

"But Beckett's okay right?" Alexis asked. "And you don't have hypothermia do you?"

"I had it slightly, mostly from the wind on the island once we were out of the water, wet coats do not keep you warm. But Kate got it a little worse as she was handcuffed for a long time under the water and had limited mobility. We had an EMT check us out at Pier 33 though and we're good, but she's still a little cold," Castle said. He shuddered almost imperceptibly as he remembered his nightmare then and said, to his mother and daughter's questioning expressions, "I wasn't sure I'd be able to reach her before she drowned. And I had an unsettling dream about that before you guys came back." He jumped up when there was a knock at the door, and hurried to open it. "So you found it," he said as Beckett and Julia walked back in. When his fiancée passed him he grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently before letting her go.

Smiling slightly as she had a feeling he'd remembered the dream he'd had, Beckett said, "We did, and I don't know if you want to stay for the slide show…"

"Actually, there's been a slight change of plans for tomorrow," Martha said. "I got a phone call from friends of mine that moved out here about four years ago. Dan and Violet Darcy. They've invited me out to Napa for the next three days to stay at a functioning winery."

"That should be nice, and you'll be back by Saturday," Beckett said. When Castle's mother gave her a quick nod she smiled and said, "Have you accepted?"

"I told them I would like to discuss it with the rest of you first, three days is a long time," Martha said.

"I don't know, if they're old friends; that you trust," Castle said, the last bit under his breath. "Then maybe you should go, when are you going to get a chance to have a trip like this again?"

"Is that alright with you girls?" Martha directed to Alexis and Julia.

"I told you, you should go Gram, this winery is really nice. We looked at the website on my phone after Mrs. Darcy called," Alexis said to Castle and Beckett. "And I'll be back home pretty quick too, so you'll see me then."

"We will miss you," Julia piped up. "But you should go with your friends to play."

As the others laughed slightly at that Martha took Julia into her arms for a hug and said, "We won't exactly play, but it will be fun."

"She's right though, we'll still miss you," Beckett said, sensing the slight hesitation that Martha was having. "But if they're good friends you haven't seen in a while then I would take the chance."

"Especially since they're insisting on picking up the tab for this trip," Martha commented. "Alright, you've convinced me. But Saturday we'll do something together, the five of us. Our last day in San Francisco."

"We'll go out, do the tourist stuff, and then that night have dinner somewhere nice for our last time in the city," Castle said, not missing the looks his fiancée and daughter exchanged. "When do you leave?"

"At eight tomorrow morning, if you can believe that, but it should be worth it," Martha said.

"Great, so should we look at the pictures before dinner?" Beckett asked.

"That reminds me, Julia, tell them where you want to go to dinner," Alexis said.

"So she decided?" Castle said, looking from the TV where he was hooking up the camera.

"I don't wanna," Julia whispered, running to Alexis and wrapping her arms around her.

"Just say, I'm sure they won't mind," the young woman urged her.

"Where we ate upstairs," Julia finally said, turning to her mother and Castle.

"That sounds fine to me," Beckett said. "The good thing about that place is that their menu's pretty big so we don't have to get exactly the same as we got yesterday."

"She's right," Castle said, turning on the TV. "And Chinese sounds great to me. Okay, we're all set up, Julia, since you are our photographer, show your work."

Getting the other chairs from the table in front of the TV, Beckett and Castle sat with Julia on her mother's lap. They all watched the slideshow of pictures, listening to the little girl's eager explanation of each item they saw, Alexis and Martha commenting as well.

* * *

"Up these stairs again," Castle commented to Beckett as they were last to go up to the second floor of the restaurant in Chinatown later that evening. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, the extra layers help. And I don't feel as cold as I did before," Beckett assured him. "There's something we forgot though."

"What?" Castle asked.

"When we sit," Beckett said simply as they got to the top and saw they were already being seated. At their table and seated with their menus, she said to Alexis and Julia, "What are you two going to do tomorrow night?"

"I forgot our reservation," Castle said with a slight groan.

"I can cancel," Martha said quickly.

"You don't have to," Alexis said quickly. "I can watch Julia. But would you mind if I took her down to the mall?"

"I don't know, is it that safe?" Beckett asked.

"Well, we can go early, have a very early lunch tomorrow, that way we eat an early dinner tomorrow," Alexis said. "And that'll give us more time to shop until about… five, while it's still light out."

"Doing that will be okay, but, carry her to and from the hotel," Castle said, nodding to Julia who was sitting on Beckett's other side.

"Of course," Alexis said.

"We get to go back there?" Julia asked then.

"Do you want to?" Alexis asked in reply.

"Yeah, can I get more stickers?" Julia said. "I want to get the horsie ones for Celia and get some for my friends too."

"Sure," Beckett said. "Take her back to that store you bought her the dress at… did we thank you for that?"

"You did," Alexis reminded her. "After we got back to the hotel and looked at it again. You both did. Do you want me to get her another dress?"

"Another shirt, she saw two she wanted and I wasn't sure about one of her choices," Beckett said slowly.

"I can get the one that's plaid?" Julia asked eagerly.

"Yes," Beckett said. "Castle and I discussed that one, and we decided you can get it, but you can't wear it with your plaid skirts okay."

"Kay, thank you Mommy," Julia said happily as she leaned over to hug her mother.

"I'll pay you back for the shirt Alexis," Castle said quickly before a woman with a cart of the Dim Sum items came over. As he had the first time they'd been there he took charge of the food, speaking with the women pushing the carts until they had enough food. "Anything you want from the menu?" he asked everyone as they were starting to eat.

"Can I learn to eat like that?" Julia asked, pointing to the chopsticks her mother and Castle were using.

"It's pretty hard," Alexis warned as her dad talked with a waitress.

"You won't be able to try though, they don't have the kid chopsticks," Castle said. "Sorry about that."

"When we go home I'll get you a pair so you can learn," Beckett promised Julia.

"So can I ask about tomorrow's plans?" Castle asked after they ate for a little longer in silence.

"The zoo," Alexis said simply.

"I remember, but you said that it was pretty small," Castle said. "I'm wondering if we should have something else in place just in case we finish too soon."

"You don't remember how long it took us to go through the zoo in Central Park?" Beckett asked in amusement.

"I do, but the way you've been talking Alexis, it seems like it's only two animals and that's it," Castle said. When he saw everyone was looking at him in confusion, he said, "I'm kidding, and I take it it's not that small."

"It's not Dad," Alexis said, shaking her head. "If you're worried about what to do if we have a lot of time between the zoo and then your dinner, I think we can head down to the Presidio, maybe Fort Point."

" _Vertigo_?" Beckett said to Castle as he looked a little perplexed. "It's the fort under the bridge where Madeline jumps into the water."

"Oh, there, that would be cool actually," Castle mused. "But no jumping into the Bay," he said, leaning over to look at Julia.

"I don't want to," Julia said, looking at Martha and Alexis in surprise as they sucked in breaths of air at almost the same time. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Beckett said quickly, knowing they were thinking about them nearly drowning at Alcatraz. She turned to him and whispered into his ear before he spoke quietly with her and she shrugged.

"Okay, sorry, we were just settling something," Castle said simply. "We're fine now."

"What's wrong Mommy?" Julia asked.

"Eat your food sweetie," Beckett said. "And when you finish taking a bite," she said, getting half a bao onto Julia's fork. "Tell us what animals you want to see tomorrow at the zoo."

"You know there's a carousel there," Alexis said to the little girl. "I'll ride on it tomorrow with you."

With that distraction, the rest of the meal went smoothly until they were finishing up the tea that was left in the two pots on the table.

"Can I go see the fishies Mommy?" Julia finally asked, having been fidgeting as the adults had been talking.

"Go, but don't go past the fish okay? I want us to be able to see you," Beckett said.

"I'll be good," Julia promised before she jumped off her chair. She was going to hurry over to the tank at the entrance to the dining room, when she felt Castle take her hand. "I can't go?" she asked.

"Come here," Castle said, kissing her cheek before she hugged him around the neck.

"I promise to be careful," Julia said, kissing his cheek and then hurrying over to the tank.

"Any reason?" Beckett asked as they watched Julia go.

"Not really," Castle said with a shrug. "Do you ever need one?"

"No," Beckett said simply as Castle took the bill to pay it; her eyes on her daughter.

Watching the thin, silver fish swimming together in the tank, Julia saw something dark on the other side of the glass and peered around it, seeing it was a girl. She smiled shyly as the girl did the same and waved saying, "Hi." She was a little startled when the little girl said something in another language and she said, "My name is Julia." The girl spoke again, and she looked back, waving at the table where she could see everyone had gotten up and were heading towards her.

"Dad, I think Julia needs you," Alexis said, seeing the little girl.

"What's wrong?" Castle asked once he was at the tank, kneeling next to Julia.

"I don't know what she says," Julia said, looking at the girl who was still at the fish tank.

Speaking in Mandarin carefully, when the girl responded in the same language Castle spoke a little quicker before turning to Julia. "She said _nǐ hǎo_ , hello in her language, and then she said her name is Jin," he explained to her.

" _Nǐ hǎo_ ," Julia said, waving to the little girl.

"We better go sweetie," Beckett said, having been listening to the conversation. "I think Jin and her family need to go sit and eat."

"How do you say bye?" Julia asked Castle.

" _Zàijiàn_ ," he quickly said.

Julia repeated it, smiling as the girl did as well, and then she cried out as Castle picked her up. "Thank you, it's nice to speak like other people do," she told him.

"Her coat," Beckett said when they were at the bottom of the stairs.

"Are we shopping again?" Martha asked while they waited for Beckett to get Julia's coat buttoned up.

"If you guys want to I think we should," Castle said. "Especially you Mother. You won't have another chance; unless we come back on Saturday."

"Now is fine," Martha said. "I would like to head back to the store you bought Julia's bag at Kate, and see if they might have a purse of that quality."

"I want to buy a bag like that for Diana, a kind of thanks for letting me stay at her parents' this semester," Alexis said.

"Then we should walk back down," Beckett said, standing up as Julia took her hand. "I'm sure she won't mind looking around again."

"I don't, can we go now Mommy?" Julia asked.

"Come on, we'll lead the way," Alexis said, reaching out so Julia could walk with her as well.

Watching the three ahead of them, Castle said, "It should be an interesting rest of the trip."

"You know, in a way I'm glad I'm leaving you four on your own," Martha said.

"Why?" Castle asked, a little surprised at that.

"Because you need to get used to being a family," Martha said. "Though Alexis thinks you are already."

A little surprised that his daughter had said that, Castle had a sudden thought and asked, "She's not… jealous of-"

"She means the four of you," Martha said simply, cutting him off. "And no she's not jealous. She says that Kate never excludes her, and Julia is always making sure she's part of what Alexis calls your family moments."

"I know what she means," Castle said in understanding. "We've had more of those since the day after Christmas."

"More especially now," Martha said. "And there's no possible way still for you two to be married now?"

"It's still a little too soon, but we actually discussed that shortly after we were on Flight 139," Castle began slowly. "But unless we were secretly married we wouldn't be able to work together."

"You don't think the mayor might pull… I'd forgotten his term is nearly up," Martha said, trailing off suddenly. "Well, if his friend is elected, you might give it a chance."

"We will, that's what we agreed on," Castle said. "Everything depends on the election, but… we're getting impatient. We'd like to be married a little sooner than that."

"I can imagine," Martha said as they watched the three ahead of them duck into a store after letting her and her son know. "She's impatient or you?"

"No, she is too," Castle said. "Going between her place and mine, we're a little worried about how that's affecting Julia. Though she hasn't had any problems, yet. What?" he asked when his mother smiled slightly.

"And you've been acting as her father more and more," Martha pointed out to him.

Castle smiled at that himself and said, "I know, I was worried Alexis might think I was trying to replace her with Julia. You know I always talk about going through her childhood again. But I asked her about it one night when I called her, and she said she never thought that."

"Of course not, since we know now for sure she sees Julia as her sister," Martha said. "Now, let us rejoin our family, and see if we can't find anything else to take home."

Following his mother inside the store, Castle looked for his fiancée, but didn't see her. "Where's-" he started to ask Julia and Alexis.

"Downstairs," his daughter answered quickly. "I'm going to head down there myself after we look at these lamps."

"For your room back home?" Castle asked, seeing the stars made of patterned material.

"And Julia's too," Alexis said.

"Mommy said I can get one for my room," Julia said. "Can I?"

"You can," Castle said, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. His talk with his mother had hit him then, and he knew she was right. He was enjoying being the little girl's father and was suddenly glad to have survived that morning to be there to do so. "And stay with them, I'll go down and see what your mom's looking at." He turned then and headed down into the basement, seeing Beckett was there, looking at a chest with some drawers. "Pretty substantial," he said, getting her attention.

"I know, I debated on getting that one for my room, but I'm happy with what I have," Beckett said, nodding to an armoire in the corner of the basement.

"That one's not too bad though," Castle said, seeing the design on it was a single phoenix in the middle of the doors. "You're sure my comment about jumping in the water-"

"It's fine," Beckett said, smiling since she'd assured him she knew he hadn't meant to say that so easily. "You forgot about it didn't you?"

"Not forgot about it," Castle said quickly, looking at her seriously. "But just thinking about the movie, I couldn't help reference the scene. I am sorry."

"Which you've said already, and like I told you before, I accept the apology. It's not necessary, but it is sweet," Beckett assured him. She walked over to some robes that were against the wall on mannequins, and she stopped in front of one, holding out the sleeve before she felt his hand slide over her side.

"Sweet enough to let me buy this for you?" Castle whispered into her ear.

"I don't know, you already have the same idea I had for it, would it really be that much of a surprise?" Beckett asked, trying not to react as his lips were brushing against her ear through her hair. "And what do I get out of it if I wear this for you."

Sucking in a deep breath of air, Castle let her go, but didn't move away saying, "Whatever you want, but we can't really tonight because…" He trailed off kissing her then, as he didn't want to remind her about her almost drowning. But when she pulled away a short time later he could see from her expression that she had realized what he'd been thinking.

"I almost forgot about that," Beckett said, touching her pendant. "But why don't we take this," she said, taking the robe off the mannequin. "And I'll buy it and we'll see another night how things might go."

"I leave it up to you," Castle said quickly.

"Which I intended in the first place," Beckett said simply.

"Are you okay though?" Castle asked her.

"Are you hurt Mommy?" Julia asked then, starling the two as they watched her coming down the steps.

"No sweetie, just a little tired," Beckett said quickly. "But I'll be fine for tomorrow I promise," she told her daughter as she picked her up off the last stair.

"That's a pretty robe Mommy, are you gonna get it?" Julia asked, touching one of the phoenixes on the fabric.

"I am," Beckett said, seeing Castle had turned away from them. She pushed at his shoulder and then headed up the stairs, hearing him scramble a little to follow them.

Leaving that store with the robe and two star lanterns, they went down to the next store; which would end up being their last in Chinatown; and headed inside, Julia going with Martha while Alexis went further back in the store on her own.

"I seriously would have bought the robe for you," Castle commented.

"I seriously told you no," Beckett said. "We're not having that argument. You haven't gotten anything though, in all the stores we've gone here. I'm sure you could send a sword home if you really wanted one."

"Well, there is one thing I'd like to get," Castle said, taking her hand and leading her to where there were some statues. "I've always liked these," he said, pointing out the warrior figurines on a side table.

"I'm surprised you don't have one already," Beckett said. "They don't have them back at home?"

"Not this size, not too huge so I'd have to set it on the floor somewhere, or too small that you can't see it," Castle said, picking up one that was holding a weapon in its hands; though like the real statue, there was none there.

"Okay," Beckett said simply, taking the figurine out of his hands. "At least you're getting something from Chinatown."

"You… thanks," Castle said, about to protest at first but then conceding that she would buy it for him. He followed her to the back of the store then where the others were gathered around the incense and he asked, "Planning on making a purchase?"

"You're getting that?" Martha asked Beckett in surprise when she saw the statue.

"For him," Beckett replied simply. "So are we buying incense?"

"I am, Julia?" Alexis commented, showing the small, colorful boxes of incense she'd chosen. "Ask," she urged her.

"Mommy, c-can I have some of this?" Julia asked shyly, holding up one box. "Alexis says it smells like roses. And it's good so you med… medi… meda…" she tried to say before stopping, frowning in frustration with the word.

"Metaphysics?" Castle suggested.

"Medusa?" Alexis quickly said.

"Stop," Beckett said, smiling though. "Meditate sweetie. And she's right, it's supposed to calm you down to meditate. And yes you can get some, but you can only use it if someone's there with you to light it okay?"

"Kay," Julia said happily, holding the box up to Castle.

"Get more," he urged her. "There might be some other scents you like."

"There are two purses Alexis that I found, help me decide on which brocade is more pleasing to the eye," Martha said, taking her granddaughter by the arm. "Kate, you're welcome to help, I may want a second opinion."

"Don't go crazy," Beckett said to Castle before she left them.

"I won't, but you might want to say the same to your daughter," he said jokingly. When she glanced back at him over her shoulder he said, "Okay, just me then." He turned back to Julia and said, "So what else do you want?"

"I don't know what's here," the little girl said.

"Okay, well you like the rose one, why don't I get you this bigger box okay?" Castle asked, switching the boxes. "How about pine? Like a Christmas tree?" He proceeded to read off the scents for her as Julia would nod or shake her head, and they would sometimes try to smell the sticks, trying to see if she would like it. Finally he had a little bundle of the incense boxes, and they walked over to where the others were, by the register.

"Ooh, that's pretty with your hair," Julia said as she saw that Alexis was looking into a mirror holding a comb up to her hair.

"I know, and I will definitely be getting this," Alexis said. "Thank you," she said, hugging the little girl to her. "Want to see if you can get one?"

"She can," Beckett said as she walked over to them. "But not too big. I want her to wear it Saturday to dinner."

"Oh, good idea," Alexis said, glancing over her shoulder at her father. "What color is her dress?'

"White, it has a dark blue sash at the waist though," Beckett said.

"Her necklace?" Alexis asked as she picked up Julia who'd been trying to jump up and see the top of the table where the combs were.

"She'll be wearing it, so I think this one," Beckett said, picking up a comb that had dark blue and green faux gemstones on it. "It helps it's silver."

"It does," Alexis said. She took it and pulled up Julia's hair to hold the comb against the reddish brown strands. "What do you think Dad?" she asked.

"That is perfect," Castle said. "Thank you…" he said slowly as he managed to take the comb from her.

"Thank you," Julia said shyly as he went over to the register with the comb and her incense they'd picked out. "Mommy, do you get something for Castle? Do I?"

"Well, tomorrow at the zoo," Beckett said, looking at Alexis so she knew she was included in the conversation. "I'd like to let them go off on their own for a while."

"Great idea, how does this apply to her questions though?" Alexis asked.

"Because I want you to buy something… wait, are there gift shops all over the zoo or just in one place?" Beckett asked, looking at the young woman.

"Only at the entrance," Alexis said. "But you know, you could get a snack for you and my dad too, while you guys are walking around together."

"I'll take her up on that," Castle said, walking over to them then. "And she's buying that statue for me Julia. Which I do appreciate," he said.

"I think that's my cue to pay," Beckett said, smiling as she walked over to the register. She had to wait for his mother to pay for her purse and a few other things she'd chosen, but she glanced back, watching as Castle and Alexis were talking to her daughter. She couldn't help but feel suddenly grateful that she was there at that moment, unable to help recalling that morning. She shuddered as she also recalled sinking deeper into San Francisco Bay; it turning into a shiver as she suddenly felt the water around her again, like icy knives stabbing into her skin.

"Are you okay?" Martha asked, turning and seeing that Beckett looked a little pale.

"Yes, just… my mind was wandering, excuse me," Beckett said quickly, going up to the register.

"I wouldn't be able to forget what you went through if it were me," Martha said, taking Beckett's arm once she'd finished paying. She led her to the entrance as the other three were following them a little distance away. "But you have to remember you survived, you are here with your daughter and everything is fine now. And you're warm I hope."

"I am, I have a shirt under my sweater for that. At your son's insistence," Beckett said with a smile. "And I actually was thinking first of the fact I am incredibly grateful to have made it back here. It's just hard to forget that water, it was cold, very cold. And, I was thinking of Julia, right before he reached me, I thought-"

"No, no, Kate, there's no reason for you to remember, you're here with her now, and you'll be spending tomorrow with her, Richard and Alexis at the zoo, you'll be having fun," Martha said, cutting her off. "And you'll be in the sun so you'll be warm too."

"You're right," Beckett said, smiling as Julia ran up to them and threw her arms around her. "So what's the plan now?" she asked Castle after she hugged her daughter and kissed her cheek.

"I don't really have anything else planned," he admitted, taking her bag.

"We didn't have dessert," Julia said, her face pressed against her mother's and peering at Castle with one eye.

"Why don't we walk to the mall for that?" Alexis suggested. "We can drop our bags off at the lobby-"  
"And me as well, I need to pack and go to bed early since Dan wants to get me at eight remember," Martha commented.

"You're sure you don't want to join us?" Castle asked.

"Very sure," Martha said. "The four of you enjoy the walk and dessert. If you take pictures I will of course want to see. The same goes for pictures you may take while I'm gone, I want to see everything."

"I'll show you," Julia piped up from her mother's arms as they headed down Grant to the gateway to Chinatown.

"Thank you darling, they'll be wonderful pictures," Martha said as Julia had her mother set her down so she could run and take her hand.

"So the mall it is?" Castle asked as Beckett took his hand.

"It is, but something other than Beard Papa," she said.

"They have gelato. Or we could get something at the market," Alexis said.

"What about Ghirardelli?" Castle asked.

"No," Beckett and Alexis said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed slightly before Beckett continued saying, "We'll have that at Ghirardelli Square when we head to Fisherman's Wharf the day after tomorrow… right?"

"Right, you know, these plans aren't set in stone," Alexis said. "I just suggested things I thought Julia might like to do in a kind of random order."

"And it's a good plan," Beckett said. "Which we'd like to stick to at the moment."

After walking to the hotel where they sent their bags up to the suite with a bellman and Martha, the others walked down Powell, Alexis and Julia in front of Castle and Beckett.

"I'm glad to see they cleared up things," he commented as they were waiting to cross at the southeast corner of the hotel, looking across the street where the crime scene had been.

"Me too, why don't we head into the square before taking dessert up to the room and let Julia run around?" Beckett asked. "I took her last night, but she wasn't in the mood for it."

"Hard to believe that was a day ago," Castle commented. "But I agree, she's going to be hyper whatever she picks out."

"Mommy, can we see the cable cars?" Julia asked eagerly as they crossed together.

"Yes, but remember we're going to ride in them to go up to Fisherman's Wharf in a couple days so we don't need to stay for too long," Beckett answered.

Waiting until they'd reached the cable cars parked next to the turn table near Market Street, Alexis helped Julia up onto one and said, "I'll take you here to the platform in the back for one trip. And we can watch everything behind us."

"I wanna do that," Julia said eagerly before she ran inside the car and sat down at the front of it were her mother was, Castle on leaning in front of her against a post. "I wanna sit here too," she told them.

"We'll need to see, there will be other people that want to ride too," Beckett told her.

"Alright, we should get going," Castle said, stepping down and waiting for Beckett to get Julia down from the seat.

"Sweetie-" Beckett began when her daughter ran to the back of the car.

"We'll meet her back there," Castle said. "And Alexis is waiting there," he told her as he held his hand out to her as she stepped down to the street.

"Come on Julia, if we don't go now the market's going to close," Alexis was saying as they reached her, standing at the steps up to the platform in the back.

"Let me try," Castle said, going over to her. "She's not kidding, and I really want something sweet."

"No," Julia said, giggling as she held onto the railing for the steps.

"What about some hot chocolate too?" Castle tried tempting her.

"No," Julia said, pretending to pout before she laughed.

"You want to just stay here and never leave?" Castle asked. "Then I guess we can go."

"No, I'll go," Julia said quickly. "I'm gonna jump!" And before the three could protest, she was leaping off the top step; luckily into Castle's arms.

"I think she's spending too much time around you Dad," Alexis said teasingly. "I'm kidding," she said when he gave her a look. "I'll show you guys the entrance down to the food court come on."

Following his daughter, Castle looked around as they went down an escalator and started to say, "This is the BART entrance… oh, I see, I didn't notice this yesterday," before they stepped into the mall. At that he turned to Beckett and said, "Again, only a day ago."

"I know," Beckett said with a slight laugh. "And here's a Starbucks," she pointed out as they entered the mall.

"I'm taking it that's hint," Castle said, looking at her.

"I want to say that too," Julia said, patting his shoulder.

"Okay, when we come back. Alexis," Castle said then. "When you two come tomorrow, don't go this way."

"I wasn't planning on it," Alexis assured them. "We'll go the way we came yesterday." She then made her dad stop, and held her arms out to Julia, "Let's see what we want for dessert first."

Going into Alexis' arms, Julia kicked her legs a little and said, "It's gonna be fun tomorrow, no Mommy or your daddy."

"I know, I can't wait to go shopping with you too," Alexis said. "I'll buy you some stickers and maybe a shirt too."

"I'll buy you something too," Julia said eagerly. She frowned and then said, "I don't know what."

"We'll see. But whatever it is, I know I'll love it," Alexis assured her, not realizing their parents were listening in on their conversation, sharing a smile before Julia kissed her cheek, hugging her around the neck tightly. She laughed slightly as she knew the little girl had done that from exuberance, and she kissed her cheek in return before they entered the market and came to the bakery.

* * *

"I see you all got dessert," Martha said as she opened the door to Julia's knock. "And some drinks as well, it looks like it was a nice excursion. And you've been running too darling, your cheeks are red," she said to the little girl as she ran to the table with her drink. "And you both have red cheeks. I take it you went to Union Square?" she said to Castle and Alexis once the others were inside.

"And we volunteered to watch her," Alexis said with a wide smile. "Got a lot of good exercise."

"She's not doing that tomorrow at the zoo," Castle commented, collapsing into a chair at the table with an exaggerated groan. He laughed when Julia jumped up onto his lap, and he helped her the rest of the way. He squeezed Beckett's hand on his shoulder as she passed him and said, "How much time do we have?"

"About two hours, a little less," Beckett said, glancing at her watch. "So eat your dessert sweetie."

"I won't run tomorrow," Julia said as her mother handed her the Easter egg shaped cookie she'd chosen. "That way I can see the animals."

"Smart girl," Castle said, pinching her cheek lightly to her giggle. He leaned down then and kissed her forehead before he helped her take a sip of her hot chocolate.

"Are you all packed Gram?" Alexis asked as they all started on their desserts.

"All set, and excited to go," Martha commented as she tried some of her granddaughter's slice of chocolate cake. "But still slightly guilty that I'm going."

"But you will have fun, everybody says," Julia said.

"I will, but I'll miss you all while I'm gone," Martha said, kissing her cheek. "Do you think I should go?"

"Yeah," Julia said simply.

"That decides it for me," Martha said as the others seemed to be waiting for the little girl to continue.

"I guess so," Castle said, shaking his head. "Is there any place we're going to be going while you're gone that you really want to see?"

"I suppose just Fisherman's Wharf," Martha answered after thinking for a moment.

"We could work that in on Saturday," Beckett said, Alexis nodding at the same time. "We could even have lunch there, so you could try the clam chowder."

"I'm looking forward to that," Martha said, sitting down next to Alexis.

"I just remembered," Castle said suddenly. "I completely forgot this too, but I had gotten you and Alexis tickets to _Beach Blanket Babylon_ two nights from now."

"You did?" Alexis asked in shock. "Oh my g- Diana's been telling me how she's always wanted to see that show but hasn't had the chance now she's old enough to go. Her parents have seen it and they love it. Do you mind-"

"Take her," Martha said with a slight laugh. "And tell her to enjoy my ticket for me; I'm sure you'll have a great time. And what will you three be doing that night?"

"We'll have to see," Castle said simply. He saw Beckett's expression and simply said, "Going to dinner somewhere very nice of course, but other than that is to be seen."

Looking at him with slightly narrowed eyes, Beckett finally sat back in her chair, knowing he wasn't likely going to give up anything except that. She just hoped whatever it was, was going to be something Julia would enjoy. She smiled as her daughter offered Castle a bite of her cookie; and she reached over, squeezing his arm before he took her hand. Their fingers entwining conveying what they were feeling as she knew his mind was going back to that morning again, just as hers was too.

* * *

Stepping into the doorway of the bathroom after opening the door, Castle looked out at the bed where Beckett was sitting, leaning back against some pillows and the headboard. She was reading something in the San Francisco travel book they'd kept with them, and as he watched she reached up to her hair, the diamonds on her ring catching the light of the room. He breathed out slightly as he suddenly saw a flash of an image; that ring black with the darkness of the water. When she looked up at him at that he quickly shook himself and hurried over to her, sliding under the covers next to her. "I didn't know we were reading that tonight," he commented so she wouldn't ask if something was wrong.

"I didn't either, I wanted to see what it says about the zoo," Beckett said. "There's not too much about it, but supposedly they have a large amount of primates there."

"Should be fun, but hopefully they have the animals that Julia likes," Castle said, reading the short description that she'd read.

"Please, she loves all animals, except for spiders," Beckett said. "Those not so much."

"I can't blame her for that," Castle said.

"There's something I wanted to ask you," Beckett said then as she watched him set the book on his nightstand. "You don't mind how this trip is going so far do you. And I don't mean the case," she said quickly when he opened his mouth to speak. "Where we've gone so far… they're kind of tourist places."

"Well, that's kind of what we are," Castle said. "Though I think Alexis is less of one than we are after almost four months here. But no, I don't mind. Plus, they're places you'd go with a child. I mean, native San Franciscans have to go to The Exploratorium, and the zoo. And as for me," he said before Beckett could speak then. "I'm enjoying myself; I've never been here, so for our first time out I'm enjoying seeing the more tourist oriented locales. You?"

"It's not my first time here of course," Beckett said. "But, since it's been so many years since I have last seen the city… I'm having fun. And I'm so glad that we're going to be going around the city for sure now," she said.

Studying her then, Castle said, "You're okay."

"I am," Beckett said, knowing it wasn't a question as he was afraid she'd get irritated. She was touched though that he was so concerned, but then realized why he'd looked a little strange as he'd been watching her read. "You're still remembering your dream."

"That was no dream," Castle said, shaking his head. He reached up and grabbed Beckett's hand that cupped his cheek, and leaned down, pressing a kiss to the palm warmly. "But it was just a brief image."

"Maybe I can help you forget it," Beckett said, searching his eyes.

"The EMT actually recommended we not do that," Castle said, unable to help feeling a little excited hearing that.

"Not that," Beckett said, rolling her eyes. "Though honestly, was he jealous of you or me?" she asked, recalling the EMT who'd brusquely told to them not to have sex that night to give her a chance to fully recover from her near drowning. They'd had a hard time figuring out his anger though, and wondered who he had directed it to.

"I'm hoping he was jealous of me," Castle said, making a face.

"Okay, me too, but really, we can wait… I would like to wait before we… engage in any kind of sexual activity," Beckett said in exasperation; as the EMT had said it in that way. "But I have something else in mind."

Castle was about to ask what, when she was cupping his face in both her hands, and he moved quickly to meet her lips. He held her tightly as soon as they began to kiss, his nightmare being stamped away into the darkness it had manifested from while she parted her lips to him. Laying her back on the bed then, he could feel the warmth of her body, and ran his hand down her side, wanting to feel the shiver of her form as he did so. He didn't let that kiss last for very long, still concerned about her, and he looked down at her saying, "Very hard to follow those instructions," after watching her breathing a little roughly.

"Yes, it is," Beckett said, clearing her throat. "But you know you can take that as a sort of preview for tomorrow, if we're not exhausted of course."

"Of course," Castle said. He leaned down and kissed her again, but that time very gently and carefully in contrast to before. He pressed his forehead against hers and nuzzled his lips against hers before they slipped into another kiss, that one being somewhere in the middle of the two before it. When they parted from that he forced himself to move, lying down behind her as she pressed back against him. "We have a lot to look forward to," he commented when they were relaxed under the covers.

"Hmm, we do," Beckett agreed, knowing in the back of their minds it wasn't just the trip they were talking about. She looked back at him then and whispered, "I love you Castle."

Holding her a little tighter to him at that, Castle pressed a kiss to her collarbone exposed by her top before he moved up to her ear. "I love you too Kate," he murmured into her ear before kissing the skin just under her lobe. He felt her relax then, and he allowed himself to do the same, falling asleep faster than he thought he would.

Beckett wasn't able to do the same, and she lay still as she listened to his deep breathing. She waited for any sign his nightmare was back, but enough time went by that she smiled slightly; really pleased she'd been able to get it out of his mind. She reached up and touched her lower lip before nodding and saying, "Tomorrow," a kind of promise to herself, before she finally closed her eyes and slept deeply as he held her close.


	10. Fan The Flame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lyric from a song called Ode To A Koala Bear by Paul McCartney in this chapter.
> 
> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Queenie Eye by Paul McCartney, from his album New.

Skipping over to where Castle was sitting on the couch, Julia tugged his hand that was holding his phone to get his attention. When he looked up at her she asked shyly, "Alexis says you brushed her hair."

"I did," Castle said, putting his phone away. "Do you want me to brush yours?" he asked, glancing at Beckett who was walking up to them from the room Julia and Alexis were sharing.

"Yes, please," Julia said.

"Alexis was telling her how you used to actually style her hair. She claimed you were pretty good at braids," Beckett said, sitting next to him as he proceeded to brush her daughter's hair.

"I did it so many times that I had to be," Castle said with a smile. "Do you want me to braid your hair?"

"No, I wanna have my hair like it is," Julia said, wincing slightly when he came to a knot.

"Sorry, that's it though…" Castle started to say when Beckett held a band of white fabric out to him. "This too?" he asked.

"That he never did for me," Alexis said, coming out of the room then. "It should be interesting to see how you do."

"It's not that hard," Castle said, tying a knot in the band under her hair and pulling the ends out. "There, what do you think?"

"Good," Beckett said as Julia turned her head back and forth. "I think we're ready now. So we should head out."

"Why are we heading out kind of late, and why didn't we get breakfast," Castle said as he stood with her. He was a little surprised when neither she nor his daughter answered, but he didn't try to ask again, following them out with Julia holding his hand.

Jumping up and down in the elevator on the way down to the lobby, Julia asked Castle, "Are you excited? We get to go to the zoo."

"I am, I'm just wondering what you two are thinking right now," he said, looking across the car at his fiancée and daughter.

"We're thinking about the zoo," Alexis said nonchalantly.

"What else would we think about?" Beckett said, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

Frowning, Castle said, "I'll figure this out," before they stepped out into the lobby.

"No you won't," Alexis said simply as they walked outside and went to the valet parking to get their car.

"You're driving?" Castle asked.

"Mmm-hmm," Alexis answered easily, walking around to the driver's side.

"Castle, are you going to keep that perplexed look on your face all day? She's been to the zoo, she knows where to go," Beckett said, taking Julia so they could go in the backseat. She kissed his cheek in passing to shake him, and watched as he got into the passenger seat. Once inside the car and her daughter was set in the car seat, she glanced at Alexis in the mirror and couldn't help smile before the young woman pulled out onto Geary Street heading west.

Looking around as they drove towards what he guessed was the Golden Gate Bridge; Castle was a little confused until he realized they were going to the bridge sooner than they'd planned. He wasn't sure why they had kept that a secret, but guessed there was something about it that was going to be a surprise for him. He relaxed, soon seeing the first tall tower of the bridge every so often in the distance, until Alexis suddenly turned off the street they were on and into what looked like a park. He kept silent until they were pulling into a complex of white buildings with large windows. "Okay, where are we… and Diana's here?" he asked his daughter as he looked ahead of them.

"Let's go," Beckett said simply, enjoying his highly confused tone of voice.

"Where are we Mommy?" Julia asked after Beckett got her out of the car.

"Where we're going to eat lunch," she answered simply.

"Here?" Castle asked, looking at her.

"Hey, good morning… afternoon…ish," Diana said when they had reached her. "I'm glad to see you got here alright," she told Alexis.

"It was pretty easy," the young woman told her friend. "So what've you been up to? We didn't talk that long yesterday."

Following the two, Castle looked around and said, "Well, wherever we are, it's got great views, you can see the Palace of Fine Arts," as he picked Julia up so she could see. "And some of these buildings have to have an awesome view of the bay."

Beckett was going to comment on that, when Julia suddenly told Castle to put her down, and she watched with him as the little girl ran ahead to a fountain, glancing at her fiancé.

"Look, it's Yoda!" Julia cried out.

"Y… is this… no way, this is the…" Castle said, the realization hitting him. "Aren't they in Marin County?"

"They moved here a while ago Dad," Alexis said, looking at Diana.

"Wow, so… we're going in?" Castle asked as they reached Julia who was looking up at the statue on top of the fountain.

"You can go inside the lobby," Diana said. "But shouldn't you tell him whose idea this was?"

"It's yours isn't it?" Castle said, turning to Beckett.

"I had Alexis find out if there was any chance we could come here," Beckett said. "Because I thought the lobby at least you'd want to see."

"I do, and you surprised me, all of you," Castle said as they walked to the door. "Surprised Julia too. So this is why you let me show her the movies?"

"It is," Beckett said. "Plus, I thought she would enjoy them. And she did."

Julia stepped inside the building first, and she cried out slightly when she saw the figure standing to the left against the wall. She ran back to Castle who was the last to go inside, and hid behind him whispering loudly, "It's Vader!"

"It's not really him, just a statue," Castle said quickly to calm her down. "But… Diana, since you're here, I'm assuming you know-"

"You can take pictures Dad, just here in the lobby," Alexis said with a smile.

"Let's go check it out," Castle said, looking down at Julia. "I'll stay with you, I promise."

"Give me your phone," Beckett said with a smile. She walked over with him to the figure, watching as he looked it over while Julia looked on apprehensively. "You want a picture in front of it?"

"Sure, but can we get two? One with her and then one on my own?" Castle asked, seeing that Alexis and Diana were behind Beckett, watching them with slight smiles on their faces. "Did you already do this?" he asked his daughter before Beckett could take the picture.

"Yeah, I scoped it out," Alexis answered.

"Let's hurry and take the picture," Beckett said. "We still have the zoo."

Once her mother had taken the picture with her and Castle, Julia went to the shelves on either side of the figure and looked at the dolls. "Those are from the movies," she said to Castle and Beckett when they joined her.

"They're pretty nice," Castle said, picking her up so she could see them closer. "My phone?" he asked Beckett. When she handed it back, he took a pictures of them all telling Julia, "I'll get those printed out for you, so you can put them in your photo album for the trip."

Smiling as she watched Julia hug and kiss Castle's cheek with a squeal, Beckett squeezed his arm before walking down to another shelf, looking at the figurine there, and the books around it. Her mind wandered to the week before, and when she and Castle had shown her daughter all six of the Star Wars movies. She had done that with their visit to the building in mind, and also she knew Castle was looking forward to showing them to Julia. She hadn't been too surprised when Julia had taken to the movies quickly; mainly the costumes in the first three, but she had enjoyed the lightsabers and Jedi as well.

"Aunt May!" Diana said suddenly, breaking into Beckett's thoughts. "Working?"

Looking down at Julia who had run over to her, Beckett didn't have a chance to look over at Diana's aunt. But the woman suddenly spoke, and she straightened up from listening to her daughter to look over at her.

"I managed to finish so I could give them the tour, but I have to get back to work after a quick stop for coffee after lunch," Diana's aunt said.

"May?" Beckett said, stunned.

"You… Kate, oh my god," May laughed once she'd seen whose voice had sounded very familiar, hurrying over to her and hugging Beckett tightly when they reached each other. "Diana didn't tell me you were here! Or Alexis either."

Castle had to smile as his fiancée's reaction, looking at Alexis and her friend to see they were smiling widely at the surprise they'd set up. He felt a small hand tugging his and looked down at Julia.

"Who's that?" the little girl asked.

"Do you remember how your mom rode horses in college?" Castle said.

"Oh, she's the other lady with dark hair?" Julia guessed.

"I'm a little shocked," Beckett was saying. "This is the second time this happened this trip. Let me introduce you to my fiancé and daughter at least, since you know Alexis already. Castle, this is May…" she began as he came over to them with Julia.

"French," May said, shaking Castle's hand. "I got married five years ago."

"Congratulations," Beckett said. "And this is my daughter, Julia."

"You rode horsies like my mommy?" Julia asked as May shook her hand.

"I did, and I can see she's definitely your daughter," May said, looking over at Beckett.

"It runs in the family," she said with a smile. "So, you work here."

"As a visual effects producer," May said. "I take care of the budget for the visual effects in a film," she explained quickly.

"Which would explain your major back at Stanford," Beckett said. "I never thought you'd be in the industry though."

"Come on and let's get you signed in so we can head to my office and lunch," May said. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting my career to go to this either. But you know I always loved films, just never fit into anything but this."

"What have you worked on?" Castle asked.

"A lot of movies, some music videos," Diana said for her aunt.

"She's right, my first though was the horror film _Hungry Ghosts_ ," May said.

"That's a great movie, the visual effects are pretty awesome," Castle said, signing at the desk in the lobby and taking a card to pin to his jacket. "Can we keep these?" he said, seeing the logo.

"Unfortunately no," May said. "And I hope you told them, no pictures inside," she directed to her niece before she led the way further into the building past the lobby.

"How did you find out that she was Diana's aunt?" Beckett asked, keeping Alexis back from the others.

"We were talking one night how I had originally wanted to go to Stanford, and she mentioned her aunt graduated from there," the young woman answered. "And then she mentioned where she worked and how she loved horses, and she eventually told me her aunt was on the equestrian team, the same time you said you were part of it."

"You didn't mention me to her though," Beckett said, referencing May's surprise at seeing her.

"No, we wanted it to be a surprise for you both," Alexis said. "But it was an incredible coincidence."

"I'll say, like fate," Castle said, coming back to them.

Shaking her head, Beckett saw that May and Diana where waiting for them and said, "We should take the tour now; it's why we're here isn't it?" She took Castle's outstretched hand as Alexis walked ahead of them with Julia, and she squeezed his hand once they were joined.

"This is a pretty awesome gift, thank you," Castle said.

Beckett couldn't help but smile at that, and she nodded simply in response as they turned their attention to a large door that May was opening, going into a theater after the others.

* * *

"And this is my office," May was saying as she opened a door the floor above the cafeteria.

"Wow, that's one amazing view," Castle said, first inside with Julia.

"I know, I'm pretty lucky with that, I actually got to watch the America's Cup last summer," May commented as she watched Beckett looking around.

"I watched that too, I never thought the wind was that bad until we got to the Ferry Building," Castle said.

"It's pretty bad, but it keeps it cooler and brings the fog in, unlike LA," May commented. "I've traveled sometimes for movies."

"What are you working on now?" Beckett asked, tempted to look at the pictures on the desk but waiting to let her daughter get her fill of the view of the Palace of Fine Arts and San Francisco Bay.

"An animated movie, but it's pretty early in production at the moment, so that's about all I can say," May said. She picked a picture up from the desk, handing it to Beckett saying, "My family."

Looking at the photograph, Beckett opened her mouth to speak and then looked up at her friend saying, "You had triplets?" a little startled.

"They're three now, and really sweet," Diana said.

"We were pretty surprised, Luke especially," May said. "But Di is right, they're very sweet and we do love them."

"I'm not surprised," Beckett said getting over her shock. "What are their names?"

"We had a little problem with that, it almost took two full days before we had it set," May said. "But finally we named them Shannon, Clare and Virginia."

"Pretty names," Beckett said. "I wish I could meet your husband and daughters."

"Me too, but at least we were able to get back in touch with each other," May said. She started to speak when her phone rang and she picked it up off the desk, the others watching her as she spoke quickly with whoever was on the other end.

"Do we need to go?" Castle asked, turning from the windows he was looking out of again.

"No, actually that was great news, my Skype meeting I had with the director got pushed back an hour. And since I have things set with that already, I can take you guys to the shop before we go," May said, writing something on a post it note before setting it on a file.

"As in gift shop?" Castle asked, seeing Alexis smile widely. "I'd like to go."

"Me too," Julia said eagerly. "What's there?"

Laughing slightly at that, May said, "Come on and I'll show you. And after that, I can walk you to your car because the Starbucks is just down the way in the building across from the lobby. You can join me if you're not going to head to the zoo yet."

"I think we can manage a quick drink," Beckett said, looking to Castle for confirmation.

"Yeah, it's fine, we'll have enough time for the zoo," Alexis assured them when they both looked at her then.

"Then let's go so you don't miss out on the zoo," May was saying. "Diana, can you lead the way?" Once her niece was walking out of the office she smiled slightly when Beckett held back and said, "There's a lot to say."

"I know, so you're doing well," Beckett commented as they followed the others.

"Pretty well, we have a nice apartment here in the city," May said. "And I still ride, with Luke actually."

"What does he do?" Beckett asked.

"He's an architect," May said. "When we got our apartment we completely gutted it; it's on the top floor of the building; and redid it all to fit us. It's beautiful; I wish you could see it. And you?"

"Do you read _Cosmo_?" Beckett asked simply.

"I do," May said with a smile. "And was surprised to see you in it, but then I read the article and it made much more sense. So you're engaged to Richard Castle."

"I am," Beckett said. "Which is a shock for me too, but he just proposed; at Christmas; so we've only been engaged for three months. And he's going to adopt Julia once we are married; we talked about that after he proposed."

"And Julia herself?" May asked.

Taking a breath in for a moment, Beckett then explained about her daughter, surprised that her friend hadn't heard about the circumstances at all; though it made sense when her friend said she'd been in Japan for a movie. She assured May; when the woman asked worriedly if they were alright; that they were fine saying, "If you noticed, Julia's a lot less shy, though her reaction to you might have been because she knows you ride horses too."

"Horse crazy?" May asked.

"Your daughters?" Beckett asked as she nodded. When May nodded in return she smiled and then became serious as she said, "I almost forgot, but about mine and Castle's engagement-"

"You're hiding it, I figured," May said. When Beckett gave a slight nod of her head she then said, "What are you going to do?"

"It depends on the election for mayor later on this summer," Beckett said. "But at this point we kind of jumped ahead with her adopting him, to a degree. I had the papers prepared, and he's signed them, so they just need to be signed officially."

"Sweet of him to do that," May said as they saw the others ahead of them in the hallway were going into the store. She watched as Beckett waved for her fiancé to go inside, and commented, "But I take it he's a good father to Alexis."

"Have you talked with her at all?" Beckett asked.

"A little, so you'll be a stepmother as well," May said.

"I guess, I don't think we see each other in that kind of context in the future," Beckett said. "But she's a great sister already to Julia, so I'm pretty happy with things to tell you the truth."

"I'm glad to hear, you never really got close to guys you were dating at Stanford," May said. "Though I really thought that guy Kenny was going to work out. Shows how much I knew at that age."

"If he hadn't been a coke head it could have worked," Beckett said. "How I didn't find out until two months into our relationship I don't know."

"Mind if I see your ring?" May asked then.

"Sure," Beckett said. "I'm going to want to see yours," she told her as she raised her hand.

"Pretty, this one was Luke's maternal great grandmother's, she came over from Iceland," May said, showing Beckett her engagement ring and wedding band. "He's a great guy you know."

"You were always pretty independent, so if you found someone to marry, I can imagine he is," Beckett said with a smile. "For now though, I think we should join the others, I have to curb my fiancé before he buys out your store." She paused then and looked to the doorway before asking, "Everything's set isn't it?"

"Of course, Alexis and Diana were sure to remind me about your plans," May said. "And meeting him, he'll love everything I think I can state with no small amount of confidence."

"Great, I'm so glad to hear that," Beckett said in relief before they entered the store. She looked for her daughter, seeing that she was with Alexis, looking at some kids' shirts. Seeing she was fine, she then looked for Castle, seeing he was looking at some figurines of fighters, and she smiled, walking over to join him.

* * *

Stepping out of the coffee shop after getting their orders, May held Beckett back as the others went over to the parking lot. "I almost forgot to ask you about Erin," she said. "Di said that you were helping the police with the case. Did she really kill those people?"

"She didn't kill them, but she was involved enough that she might as well have done it herself," Beckett said. She sighed and said, "Did you hear about the tourist they tried to drown off Alcatraz?"

"I did, and… that was you?" May asked, realizing why she'd said that.

"And Castle, we were able to have the mayor and Chief of Police keep the details on that confidential as way of thanks for our help," Beckett said. "Or else I'd be going back to NYC unemployed. But yeah, she wanted to kill me, apparently for a long time."

"You didn't realize that she was jealous of you?" May asked. When Beckett shook her head she said, "She always was I could tell, because she would try and talk about you behind your back, but I would walk away when she tried to do that. The way she would talk too, you knew she wanted what you had."

"Back then it wasn't really much," Beckett said with a shrug.

"Oh please," May scoffed. "You had a lot of friends, you were smart and you had a lot of guys coming after you-"

"You too," Beckett quickly interjected.

"Okay, but still, you had friends who liked you, you were pretty and you were smart. And if you say you too again I'm going to throw you in the trough like I did that one time we went riding together," May said before she and Beckett broke down into laughter. "Though I swear that was an accident. But it doesn't surprise me she decided to act on that desire to kill you since she met you again a few days ago. You have a lot now that I bet she wishes she had. A fiancé; a famous fiancé; you're well respected as a cop; wasn't expecting her to become one honestly, but I guess since her family always has at least one kid become a cop, not a surprise there. And you have a daughter. So, with all that… considering what her life was like, I'm not surprised the jealousy just boiled over into hatred."

"Your niece has been talking to you?" Beckett asked.

"I took the same Psych class with you remember," May said. "But I'm just glad you're alright."

"That would be thanks to him," Beckett said, glancing at Castle, seeing he was outside their car. "I should go, but I'll see you, and you have my card too."

"And you have mine, it was great to see you again Kate," May said as they exchanged a careful hug since they were still holding their coffees.

"I know, it brought back a lot of memories," Beckett said. "Thank you so much for lunch though, and the tour."

"My pleasure, have a great day, and the rest of your trip," May said.

Beckett smiled, and then walked over to the car where Castle was still waiting outside for her. "So you enjoyed that?" she asked.

"I think that's obvious," Castle said. He smiled then as Beckett shook her head slightly and said, "Thank you though, that was a pretty amazing present. And I'm including the model you bought for me."  
"You're welcome, I had fun myself, not just because I got to see May again," Beckett said with a slight smile. "Thank you for not asking her about how I was in college."

"We got some stories at lunch, so I'll take that," Castle said. "By the way, amazing place to have lunch."

"I know, but we should go," Beckett reminded him. "I'm pretty sure Julia's ready to go to the zoo now."

"True," Castle said, opening the door for her. "And to tell you the truth I am too."

"With as much as we've been talking about it, that doesn't surprise me," Beckett said, getting into the back next to her daughter before Castle closed the door for her.

Alexis drove them down the Great Highway to the San Francisco Zoo, which was right across the highway from the Pacific Ocean. As they were walking up to the entrance from the parking lot she said, "Diana took me across to the beach when we came here."

"How was it?" Castle asked.

"Cold, and a lot of seaweed which was pretty gross," Alexis said. "And slimy, so I don't know if I'd want to swim in it."

"The pool is better," Julia said in a matter of fact way.

"A lot," Alexis agreed with a slight laugh. She pulled the little girl to the side as Castle and Beckett went to the admission booth for their tickets. "We can go in," she told her.

"But the tickets," Julia said, not moving at first.

"You give your tickets further ahead; see that little house up there?" Alexis assured her, picking her up. "That's where you give your tickets and where the rest of the zoo is."

"Oh, I didn't want Mommy to get mad at me," Julia said. She looked ahead at where Alexis was carrying her and gasped saying, "I see giraffes!"

"And zebras," Alexis pointed them out to her.

"Yeah, I see those too!" Julia said, sounding awed. "They're all together. Why?"

"Because they won't hurt each other," Alexis said, smiling at the awe on Julia's face. She'd gone with her to the zoos in New York City, but was pleased she was reacting the same way to the animals she'd seen before back home.

"They're so pretty," Julia said, bouncing a little in Alexis' arms.

"I'll agree with that," Castle said, coming up behind them with Beckett. "Especially this one that's coming to us."

Julia's mouth dropped open and a slight squeak left her mouth as a giraffe walked up to the tree in the habitat nearest to the railing. She stared up at the animal as it rubbed its head against a branch, and almost didn't realize Castle was trying to get her attention.

"Want to see it a little higher?" he asked when she glanced at him quickly before looking back at the giraffe.

"Yeah," Julia said.

"It would be better if you went on his shoulders," Beckett suggested carefully. "That way you can get a better picture with your camera."

"Can I?" Julia asked Castle.

"Sure," he said, knowing what his fiancée had done. He took the little girl from his daughter, setting her onto his shoulders. She had never let him do that before, and he couldn't help feel a sense of taking another big step with Julia though it was just a simple action. For him, she was showing again she trusted him a lot more than she had the year before.

"Okay, should we keep going?" Beckett asked after Julia had taken a picture.

"What's next?" Julia asked, looking down at Alexis who had the zoo map.

"We can go around this area, the African Region, if you want to," the young woman said, looking up at Julia.

"You should just go wherever you think is best," Castle said. He started to take Julia off his shoulders when she grabbed under his chin to hold herself in place. "You're okay there?" He could feel her moving, and guessed it was a nod before he followed Beckett and Alexis to the Gatehouse where they handed over their tickets, holding Julia's legs as she leaned against the back of his head. He had a surreal moment; almost thinking it could have been Alexis there, if she wasn't right in front of him. "Let me know when you want to get down," he said to Julia; more to see it was her and not his five year old daughter.

"I can see better here," Julia said in response.

Beckett, having heard, smiled at that and looked back at the two, seeing that her daughter was trying to take a picture of the trees they were passing underneath. "You might want to wait sweetie," she told her. "Your picture is going to come out blurry."

"Okay," Julia said quickly. "Look!" she cried, bouncing for a moment before Castle held her steady.

"I'm a little out of practice," he said as Beckett started to step towards him. "I've got her."

"I know, I almost thought you didn't. What is it?" Beckett then asked her daughter who was looking impatient.

"Those were in the movies," Julia said, pointing to an animal with a long stripped tail that was coming down from a tree.

"Lemurs, and you're right, they're in the _Madagascar_ movies," Alexis said, at the railing to the habitat already. "They're pretty cool," she said to Julia, smiling when the little girl nodded eagerly.

"Their eyes are big, and yellow," Julia breathed, taking a picture. "Can you see?" she asked Castle, deliberately covering his eyes then.

"Well… not right now," he said with a slight laugh before taking her hands off his face. "Okay, now I can. You're right, they are cool, especially when they move," he commented as one of them got up from where a group were sitting and went towards the back of the habitat. "Are you ready for the next animal?" he asked Julia.

"Yeah," the little girl said happily. "Do I make your shoulders hurt?" she then asked him as they were walking again.

"No, you're pretty light still," Castle said. "If I were carrying your mom like I have-"

"You were not carrying me," Beckett said, rolling her eyes. "But you don't have to carry her for that long."

"This way is the back of the habitat at the entrance," Alexis said to get their attention to the path which went in two directions. "Keep going or head to the gorillas?"

"Gorillas and then the habitat," Castle suggested.

"Let's do that," Julia said eagerly, leaning on her arms which she set on Castle's head.

Walking to the habitat, Beckett watched her daughter as she and Castle chatted a little about the zebras they'd seen. She couldn't help but smile as she looked on, listening to them. She knew they had taken a big step with her just going on his shoulders, not sure why such a simple thing would be such a big deal. But she easily realized that since they were trying to make sure Julia would be okay with Castle as her father, her allowing him to carry her on his shoulders was an achievement. Her mind wandered back to the fact that it had nearly been a year since they had met Julia, and she shook her head slightly at the surprise that realization brought with it.

"Mommy?" Julia asked as Castle took her down. "I wanna walk now, can I?"

"Of course," Beckett said as she shook herself from her thoughts. "Who are you going to walk with?"

"You and Castle?" Julia asked. When he set her down on the ground she looked up at him as she took his hand and asked, "Can I do that again?"

"When you need to get a better view or picture then of course you can," Castle assured her. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head before saying, "And if you want me to pick you up you can just ask."

Smiling as she had giggled at his kiss, Julia took her mother's hand as they walked up to the railing to the Gorilla Preserve. "Oh, they're close," she said in a whisper as they saw the animals below them.

"Look at this one, it looks like he's thinking," Alexis pointed out as they looked at a gorilla who had one hand supporting its elbow. She smiled when Julia's camera began to go off after Beckett had picked her daughter up and said, "It's a great zoo."

"From what I've seen so far, I'll agree, those lemurs were pretty sweet," Castle said. "What's after that habitat?"

After Julia had gotten her fill of the gorillas; one that was laying down with its feet propped on a rock making her try several times to take a picture of it causing them to stay a little longer; they headed back to the African Savanna habitat, staying there a while again. That time a giraffe had come up to a water bowl near the building they were next to, drinking at it and making Julia again snap more pictures. Alexis then led them around the edge of the Primate Discovery Center; as Castle and Beckett had assured her she could take them the way she'd gone around the zoo her first time there. That brought them to the Cat Kingdom area after they looked at the Earthquake Shack, a building that was temporary shelter after the 1906 earthquake, and Julia was the first to notice the first habitat in the area, making her squeal heavily.

"I'm really glad Diana took me this way," Alexis said. "Because that is so cute," she commented while they watched the river otter in the water of its habitat.

"It is, but how did she not see that?" Castle asked, gesturing behind them.

"I don't know," Beckett said. "Did you get a picture?" she then directed to Julia.

"Yeah, what didn't I see?" Julia asked, turning in Castle's arms as he was holding her. She gasped and then squealed again, trying to get down.

"Don't run," Beckett said quickly as he set her on the ground. She was relieved when Julia only skipped to the penguin exhibit. "You knew about this?" she asked Alexis as they followed.

"Of course, but I was hoping to surprise her with it," the young woman replied. "I thought she might like this the best, I have never gotten so close to animals like this."

Julia, standing at the edge of the large pond where penguins were floating on the water, turned to them and whispered, "Do you see?"

"We see, and you can talk normally, just don't yell," Castle said, kneeling down next to her. "Want me to take your picture?"

"Can you?" Julia asked happily. She gave him her camera when he nodded, and she hurriedly stood in front of the pond, smiling widely as he took the picture. "Can I pet them?" she asked as Castle hung the camera back around her neck.

"I don't think so," Beckett said. "But they seem to be interested in you today."

"I think they think you're one of them, in black and white too," Alexis commented.

Julia laughed at that, covering her mouth suddenly and looking worried as she looked up at her mother. "I'm sorry," she said quickly to the penguins.

"I don't think they minded that," Beckett assured her. "Are you ready to see more?"

"Yes," Julia said, running over to Alexis then.

"Still want me to walk around with her on our own?" Castle asked as he and Beckett walked behind the two.

"Do you not want to?" she asked.

"Oh, of course I do," Castle said. They were quiet for a moment, standing back a little as Alexis and Julia were looking at lions in their habitat, and he said, "She's trusting me more."

"I had a feeling this trip might help," Beckett said before she suddenly looked troubled.

"What is it?" Castle asked, cupping her elbow as their daughters were continuing to the next animals.

"No, just… I think she may have sensed something happened with us," Beckett answered. "I don't think she knows exactly what happened, but with our track record, the scrapes on my face and how we were yesterday with her-"

"She guessed it was something like the plane crash, where we might not have come back to her," Castle said. "I really wish she wasn't so perceptive."

"I know, but, what can we do," Beckett said with a shrug. "Though, I think she let you carry her because of that. Because of course, we tried that before and it didn't work until now."

"I'm not complaining," Castle said, holding his hands up. He looked over to the habitat Alexis and Julia had come up to and said, "And there's a tiger."

"There's a ditch in front of it," Beckett commented as they stepped up to the fence. "And looks like the top of the fence is electrified."

"Oh, well then I feel better," Castle said, realizing that was what the humming noise was. He noticed Julia then and said, "You really like tigers don't you?"

"They're beautiful," Julia breathed out in awe. "But sleeping again."

"A lot of these are nocturnal," Castle said as the little girl leaned against him. "Do you know what that means?"

"I don't think so," Julia said, peering up at him.

"It means you sleep during the day, and you're awake at night," Alexis said. "A lot of animals are like that, so that's why they're sleeping when you go to the zoo."

"That's funny," Julia said.

"Want to keep going?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah, what's next?" Julia asked eagerly.

"Come on, we'll go see first," Alexis said, holding her hand out to the little girl.

Taking Beckett's hand, Castle tucked it into his arm, and they followed the two as her hand slid up onto his upper arm, gripping it securely. "So tonight's still going to happen?" he asked while they looked at the Black Rhino a little behind Julia and Alexis.

"I would have said beforehand if it wasn't," Beckett said. "But there's something I'd like to request."

"Sure," Castle said, looking at her.

"I'd like to go to a club," Beckett said. "And I already know which."

"May told you?" Castle asked.

"I asked. It's around the Twin Peaks area of the city she said. And it's not a rave club," Beckett replied.

"Sounds great, if you want to go, I'll follow," Castle said.

Fighting a smile, Beckett simply said, "Good," before they walked after their daughters, sliding her hand into his before their fingers entwined.

* * *

"You're absolutely going to love this," Alexis was saying a little later when they had reached the Outback Trail section of the zoo. "Well, I know you've liked everything you've seen so far, but this you'll like, and what's after."

"Are those kangaroos?" Julia asked, on Castle's shoulders again.

"Yeah, and peacocks," Alexis said.

"Oooh, look at how many," Julia said before she giggled slightly as she saw a lot of the kangaroos were asleep. "Can I go down please?"

"Going to take more pictures?" Castle asked as he took her down.

"Lots," Julia said eagerly, running up to the railing and starting to snap with her camera. "And the birdies too," she marveled. "But why are they white?"

"Those are the girls," Beckett said, running her hand over the back of her daughter's head. "They don't need to have as fancy feathers as the boys."

"How come?" Julia asked, looking up at her after taking a picture.

"Because the girls pick the boys they like," Castle said, glancing at Beckett to make sure that explanation was okay. "And the boys need the absolute best feathers so the girls will notice them."

"Oh," Julia said, wrinkling her nose as she thought that over.

Alexis got her attention then, as a squirrel; not the first they had seen at the zoo; ran around the bench behind them before it shot up a tree. "Okay, now for something you'll really, really like," she said, taking Julia's hand and leading her down the path again.

"What is it?" Julia asked, skipping next to her. "Or is it a surprise?"

"A surprise," Alexis said. It took a little more time to get to the next habitat, but once they were there, she watched the little girl to see her reaction.

"Koalas," Julia breathed, seeing one in a tree, curled up and asleep. She took a picture and then suddenly started to sing as she swayed back and forth to Castle and Beckett's surprise, " _My little koala type bear_."

"You were listening to that song before we came to your room," Beckett commented, looking at Alexis.

"I couldn't help it, I knew she would think of that song anyways," the young woman replied with a smile.

"I like that song," Julia said, smiling widely. "Don't you?" she asked her mother and Castle.

"I love that you know the lyrics that well," Castle commented.

"He's right, you sang it exactly right," Beckett said as Julia beamed at them. "But come here sweetie, there's another koala here inside this building." She picked up her daughter, carrying her to the window looking inside at the animal, yawning widely as they walked up to it.

"So what's left of the zoo?" Castle asked.

"Actually, there's something else I want to take a look at before we split up," Alexis said.

"Another surprise?" Castle said.

"Just so you're not expecting it, I want Julia to have that same awed look on her face when we go to different places," Alexis said. "It's adorable."

"It is, you don't mind us splitting up?" Castle then inquired.

"No, actually, I wanted to talk with her about something anyways. And you and Julia should spend time together," Alexis said. She started to speak, and then hesitated before her father urged her to go ahead and say what was on her mind. "She was talking about how she was looking forward to going through the zoo with you earlier."

"Does that bother you?" Castle asked.

"No Dad," Alexis said with a sigh though she quickly smiled. "I'm not jealous of Julia; actually, what bothers me is that she's still holding herself back with you. But… she's definitely a lot more open than she was when we first met her. She loves you, you know that right?"

"Is that spoken as a future psychiatrist?" Castle commented.

"Does that mean you're fine with my change in my major?" Alexis shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Definitely, you'll be a great one because you've helped Julia a lot," Castle said. He smiled as his daughter hugged him with one arm and he responded in kind before saying, "How can you tell?"

Knowing her dad was going back to their conversation, Alexis smiled widely and said simply, "Wait until you're alone going through the zoo. But… she might take a little longer to reply to when you tell her I love you."

"I know, but I'll take what I can get," Castle said simply. "Speaking of which, I think Beckett should be happy with how long we've spent alone, so let's go."

"She's worried about us not really spending time alone together this trip?" Alexis commented as they headed to where the other two were standing in front of another window.

"Yeah, but, I like this better, all of us together," Castle said.

"A family, Gram said she talked to you about that," Alexis said. "And I'm not jealous of that either," she said quickly when he opened his mouth to speak. "So are you ready to see what's next?" she asked Julia excitedly.

"What's next?" the little girl asked as she held her arms out to Alexis.

"So I was thinking, and Alexis and I talked about this before we rejoined you in the tropical forest building," Beckett said to Castle as she slid her arm through his, grabbing his upper arm again with her hand. "That you two can look through the Children's Zoo by yourselves. Alexis and I might head back to the lemurs and savanna habitat and then we'll meet at the entrance there so we can-"

"Actually, can we go around alone?" Alexis asked, turning to them suddenly. "I wanted to take Jules to the train we saw."

"Ooh Mommy, Castle can-" Julia started to say eagerly.

"Yes," Beckett quickly said. "And this is what you wanted us to come see."

"Horsies!" Julia squealed when they walked inside the building housing a carousel.

"Just a quick ride," Alexis said. "And I'm going on with you," she said as they walked up to a gate leading to the ride.

After getting Julia set on a horse that would move, Beckett took a picture of her, then a wider shot of her and Alexis for Castle. She hurried off and stood with him against the railing as the ride began and Julia waved at them. "I kind of wish I could hear what you two talk about once you're alone together," she told him.

"Ditto for you and Alexis," Castle said.

"Is that what you were talking about earlier?" Beckett asked.

"Yep, but I'll be careful with Julia, so you know," Castle said slightly seriously.

"Of course you will," Beckett said. "Because if you didn't… you'd find out what would happen pretty quickly of course."

"So me saying that even though I didn't need to makes me more attractive to you right?" Castle asked, not surprised when she rolled her eyes.

"Castle, I'm sure you'll find out the answer to that," Beckett said, patting his arm as the carousel began to slow down. She couldn't help smile at his slightly shocked look at that, since her tone had been bordering on seductive; but she continued without looking back to check if he was following; already knowing he would when he recovered. They met the two at the exit and she said. "I think now is a good time to split up, since we're at the entrance to the Children's Zoo already."

"Sounds good to me," Alexis said, handing Julia to her dad. "Have fun and take a ton of pictures," she said as she gave him the map she'd been holding since they'd been given it.

"Okay, how long are you giving us?" Castle asked.

"A half hour should be enough," Beckett said. "I'll call you then." She kissed Julia, telling her to listen to Castle before she and Alexis left, heading back down around to the gatehouse to see the lemurs.

"Ready?" Castle asked, looking at Julia.

"Yeah, can I go up?" she asked him.

"Let's wait and see if maybe there's something you want to see first," Castle commented. "Staying on the ground." He set her down and took her hand, leading her back to the entrance. They walked inside, seeing first a small area fenced off that had rabbits and long haired guinea pigs in it.

"Look," Julia said, tugging his hand. "That one looks like the one Celia has."

"I remember you told me," Castle said, watching the white rabbit nibbling at some grass. "How come you never asked your mom for a rabbit?"

"'Cause I have Kauai," Julia said simply. "Where do we go now here?"

"I don't know," Castle said, waiting for her to take a picture of all the animals inside the fence. He then picked her up and headed down the path saying, "We'll be like explorers, not knowing where we're going, so it's a surprise."

"Why do you wave like that?" Julia asked.

"I don't know," Castle said with a slight laugh before he kissed Julia's cheek. He was relieved at her giggle at that, and he bounced her slightly on his hip before walking up to a habitat.

"What are those?" Julia asked, seeing the animals inside.

"Prairie dogs," Castle said, reading the plaque near them. "They stand up to look for danger. They're a little… rotund though. In the wild they're skinnier."

"They're cute," Julia said, taking a picture. "Look over there!" she gasped, looking to their left and pointing.

"Hold on," Castle said, following her gaze and seeing why the prairie dogs hadn't held her interest. "You remember these?" he asked as he came up to the railing of the habitat she had looked into.

"Yeah, they're meerkats," Julia said, being careful with the word. "Look at that one standing," she said as she took a picture of the animal standing on a tall rock, its paws down at its sides. "It's looking at me."

"Probably wondering what a penguin is doing here on this side of the zoo," Castle teased her before he put her up on his shoulders.

Though she'd gasped slightly at that, Julia soon waved at the meerkat calling, "Hi, I'm as tall as you," before taking another picture.

Castle couldn't help but laugh, and looked up before he realized Julia was looking down at the ground. "Want to go down?" he asked her, seeing a meerkat was scrabbling at a crack in the dirt then. He set her down when he felt her nodding, and he knelt with her as they watched the animal soon eat a worm it uncovered with its long nails.

"Ew, look at their nails," Julia said wrinkling her nose. "And that one's sitting, look!" she said, shaking Castle's shoulder.

"I see, take a picture," he directed her. "Do you want to keep going?"

"Do we have to?" Julia asked.

"We can stay a little longer," Castle assured her. "But then we should go or else we won't get to see the rest of the zoo." He smiled when she nodded, watching the meerkat in front of them digging before it stopped and looked up at them before walking off. He stood up as his knee was beginning to bother him, and wasn't surprised when Julia reached up to him, picking her up before she leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his neck as they watched the meerkats watching them.

* * *

"That is such a great idea, why I didn't see that I don't know," Alexis was saying to Beckett was they walked back around to the entrance to the Children's Zoo. "I think I was looking more at the colors that were being used and the way the painting was since you don't usually see those kinds of works of art at the museums at home a lot."

"I wasn't sure you'd welcome my input," Beckett said with a slight smile. "I never took a class on Hindu mythology, but seeing the painting you chose, it just stood out to me."

"I'm not surprised, but I'm relieved I have my basic idea, it'll be fun to explore that, the role reversal with Shiva caring for the children and Parvati caring for the animal," Alexis was saying. "And of course, cattle are sacred to the Hindus, so there's that aspect too…"

"Sounds like it'll be a great paper," Beckett said, seeing the thoughtful expression on Alexis' face.

"I hope," Alexis said. "Where are they?"

Beckett saw that the entrance was clear, but before she could become concerned, her phone rang, signifying she had a text. She opened her phone as Alexis did so with her own phone at the same time, and she laughed briefly when she saw the picture with the message; a selfie of Castle and Julia who were making faces at the camera and the words we are here. "The carousel, which doesn't surprise me," she said as Castle's daughter was looking at the picture on her phone. She turned and walked back to it, seeing that her fiancée was helping her daughter off a horse inside. "So did you have a good time with Castle?" she asked Julia as she ran up to her.

"A lot," Julia said eagerly, hugging her tightly. "We saw meerkats, and we saw a horsie they let me pet! And sheep and goats and a barn."

"Sounds like you saw a lot," Beckett commented with a smile at Castle.

"A lot a lot," Julia said eagerly, having her mother set her down. She ran over to Alexis and tugged her hand impatiently before she suddenly stopped.

Looking at the little girl's surprised expression in confusion, Castle, Beckett and Alexis turned to see that Julia was staring at a peacock that was coming up to them on the path.

"Is it loose?" Julia whispered.

"No, they let them go around the zoo," Alexis said. "Hurry and take a picture."

Julia scrambled for her camera and took a number of pictures as the bird merely walked by them after glancing at them once. "That was so cool," she said happily once it was gone.

"She's been listening to you too much," Beckett told Castle jokingly.

At that point Julia grabbed Alexis' hand again, squeezing it to try and send her a message as she jumped up and down in excitement.

"We'll see you in twenty minutes here at the entrance," Alexis said quickly, rushing off with Julia before her dad or Beckett could say a word.

"Don't run!" Castle and Beckett said immediately at the same time. They shared a glance before he took her hand, and led her down the path.

"So where are we heading to?" Beckett asked as they walked.

"I don't know, I was thinking of letting you lead the way," Castle said.

"This way," Beckett said. "Since I'm the only one of us who hasn't seen this section," she explained as they went to the Children's Zoo. "So how was it?"

"Fun, she's… a great girl," Castle said. "And definitely your daughter, she was like a pro with that horse we saw."

"Was she riding it?" Beckett asked in surprise.

"No, but she fed it, and they let her help them walk it through some jumps," Castle said. "It was well trained so she wasn't in any danger."

"That thought never crossed my mind," Beckett said.

"And you and Alexis?" Castle then asked.

"Oh we talked about what you and Julia might get up to. And I helped her a little; I'm hoping; with her paper she has," Beckett said.

"I'm glad to hear that," Castle said. "I have to wonder though, how they're going to be tonight."

"They'll have fun, this isn't the first time they've been alone at night," Beckett pointed out.

"True, but let's just hope they do have fun," Castle said. He smiled when Beckett shook her head; since they both knew already their daughters would; and he pulled her over to the prairie dogs as he tucked her hand up around his upper arm, holding her closer against his side.

* * *

"Alright, stay with Alexis inside the mall," Beckett was telling her daughter as they stood outside their hotel. "And that's all I have to say."

"It is?" Julia asked, peering up at her.

"It is," Beckett replied with a smile. "Because you know already how to behave." She picked her up then, hugging her daughter closely to her. "We'll see you in the morning, so I hope you have a great time seeing the mall again."

"I will, but I can't wait to go where we go tomorrow," Julia said eagerly. "I hope you have fun with Castle."

"I will," Beckett said. She shared a kiss with Julia and said, "I'll say goodnight now sweetie, and I love you."

"Love you Mommy," Julia said before she was transferred to Castle. "Will I see you tomorrow too?"

"Of course, and we'll be eager to hear about what you and Alexis get up to tonight," Castle replied. "Nothing too crazy okay?" He smiled when she nodded seriously, and he kissed her cheek before she kissed his saying, "I love you Julia, night."

After Julia had nodded to that, she was given to Alexis; who assured both her mother and Castle they would be fine before they headed down Powell. "I can't walk?" she asked.

"They want me to carry you, and I would feel better doing that really okay?" Alexis said. "It's still kind of crowded too."

"Kay, what do we do now?" Julia asked.

"Do you want to shop first, or eat first like we did the other night? Are you hungry?" Alexis asked while they were waiting for a light.

"I'm hungry," Julia said, pressing her cheek against Alexis'. "Are we really going on those?" she asked when they reached the cable cars.

"We are, and you'll have a lot of fun, especially when we go down the hills; that's pretty exciting," Alexis told her. She crossed Market and went inside the mall where she set down Julia, leading her to the escalators. "Okay, now we need to pick what to eat and we can shop for…" she began, trailing off as she looked at her watch. "Well, we need to see how long it takes to eat. But we have at least three hours to do both."

"What do we eat?" Julia asked. She then asked eagerly; as they were passing the market; "Can we get dessert here?"

"Not here, I'll tell you later what we'll have okay?" Alexis asked. When Julia nodded she had to feel a certain sense of relief the little girl seemed to be doing okay though they weren't with her dad and Julia's mother. She had been a little worried Julia would get worried and scared; as she had in the Hamptons in the summer; but luckily it looked like she was coping well. "So what do you want to eat? Not Chinese, we had that already. And burgers we had for lunch."

"I liked where we went," Julia said. "That was a nice place and that lady has a nice place to work."

"She does, I'm glad you liked it too," Alexis said.

"Can we get pasta?" Julia asked. "Macaroni and cheese!" she exclaimed.

"We'll see," Alexis said. She let Julia go ahead of her in the line for the Italian restaurant, and helped her stand up on a railing. "Do you remember the shirts from yesterday?" she asked her as they waited.

"No," Julia said, biting her lower lip as she tried to recall. "Just the one that was plaids."

"Maybe I'll get you another plaid one," Alexis said, helping her down as they turned the corner and came to the food. "I just hope your mom won't mind."

"I'll ask her not to be mad," Julia said simply. "And say it was a present for me like my pretty dress you got me." She smiled as Alexis kissed her cheek, and then turned her attention to the food as the young woman spoke to the employee behind the counter, eager to eat to get to shop with her.

* * *

"I think Mommy will like this one on me," Julia was saying as she looked at herself in the mirror in their room later that evening. "She won't care it's plaids too."

"I'll take your word for it," Alexis said with a smile as she watched her turn back and forth so her black shirt flared under the blue and pink plaid shirt she'd bought for Julia at the same store as the dress. "So did you have fun?"

"So much fun," Julia said happily. "Do we have to do that again?"

Smiling wider at the way the little girl had worded that, Alexis said, "We don't have to, but if you want to go again then we can ask."

"No, I don't want to," Julia said, going to Alexis so she could unbutton the shirt. "I want to go to other places."

"Me too," the young woman replied. "So why don't I give you a bath now, and then we can watch something and have dessert?"

"Okay," Julia said, following her to the bathroom. She helped Alexis in giving her a bath; not the first time they'd done that there in their room; and once she was changed into her pajamas she went out to the main room, looking out on Union Square. "What are my mommy and your daddy doing right now?"

Looking at her watch, Alexis said, "Having dinner, so they're still here at the hotel. What do you want to watch?"

"I dunno," Julia shrugged. "Can we watch videos first?"

"Come here," Alexis said, going to the credenza under the TV, and taking the menu for room service. "We need to get dessert, I almost forgot. Look, they have cake pops, those look good."

"Yeah, get those," Julia said. As Alexis was calling to order she went to the window again and looked down at the darkened view as night was falling, and she saw a cable car passing by underneath her on Powell. She breathed a little and sighed as the window fogged up in front of her. "I hope they're having fun," she said as Alexis took her hand, leading her to the couch.

"They are," the young woman said, realizing suddenly her worry was likely stemming from the fight she'd seen Castle and Beckett having the night before. "You don't need to worry about them; they'll have dinner, probably dance a little. So they'll have a lot of fun."

"Good, like we did right?" Julia asked.

"Most likely," Alexis said. "Now, what's first?"

" _When We Was Fab_!" Julia suddenly exclaimed, jumping up on the couch and giggling heavily as Alexis tickled her. She hugged the young woman tightly when she stopped and stayed with her until the song began, going down to the floor, dancing in time to the music. She wondered if her mother and Castle were going to dance the same, and hoped they would as she started to sing, watching the screen while George Harrison performed.

* * *

"I told you I wouldn't take that long," Beckett said, stepping out from the bedroom, seeing Castle was looking down on Union Square. She couldn't help but smile slightly; trying not to smirk; as he looked her over once.

"Wow, so… that's from Zara I take it?" Castle asked, clearing his throat first before he spoke.

"One of three purchases, yes," Beckett said, walking to him. "And yes, the other one will be worn when we go out with Julia, and the last Saturday night, so you'll see them." She went to her coat that was on the table, knowing that he was staring after her. She felt a certain sense of pleasure in that, as her dress was one she had wanted, hadn't been sure of and Julia had assured her was perfect. When she'd chosen it, it was the only dress she hadn't tried on with her daughter in the dressing room with her. The reason being it was very low cut, the sides of her breasts being somewhat visible in the neckline. "Julia told me, even though this print is slightly more spring, it's still good," she said, glancing down at the white background with a kind of abstract pattern of lines and dots in dark blue that seemed to form branches on it.

"She's right, and your jewelry works with it," Castle said, trying to keep his eyes from her chest but not sure if he was going to be able to keep that up all night.

"I picked it out with that in mind; all three dresses actually," Beckett said, pressing on his chin to bring his eyes up to her face. "Because I only brought this as my jewelry in case we went out."

"You made a great choice," Castle said, taking his coat from the table. Before he let her go to the door, he took her chin with his fingers, and tilted her head up so he could kiss her carefully. He knew she was likely expecting a more passionate kiss, but he kept it simple, wanting to work up to the point when they wouldn't have to keep things short. "Let's go," he said simply as they stared at each other for a while.

"Yeah," Beckett said, putting her arm through his before they left the suite, trying to calm down her racing heart.

Walking through the lobby after the elevator ride down, Castle glanced down at Beckett's left hand that was still holding onto his arm. He took it off and held it with his own as they came to the restaurant. "I've been told this place is really good. The chef is supposed to be amazing," he told her once they were sitting at a booth near the bar.

"Me too," Beckett said. She smiled as Castle looked a little taken aback by that, and quickly said, "May."

"Tell me more about her, you said you were friends, but I didn't realize that you were so close," Castle commented after they'd ordered their wine and food.

"Well, after what happened with the team, we were pretty close," Beckett said. "And she and her sister; Diana's mother; weren't exactly close because of their age difference. So she and I became more like sisters. And we kept in touch, to a point after I left Stanford to go back home. But after a while we just lost contact. She's the one who showed me a lot of the city, since it was her home after all."

"It would make sense," Castle agreed. "Are you going to keep in contact with her now?"

"Of course, but I'm so shocked that she's working in the movie industry," Beckett said. "She always said she was going to be an accountant when we were in college."

"Well, you know sometimes going in a different direction isn't always a bad thing," Castle said. "And she seems to enjoy her job."

"Yes, and before you say it, I know already; she's lucky to be working for who she does," Beckett said smiling slightly. "But for now, I'd like to focus on the rest of our trip," she said, picking up her wine glass their waiter had set in front of her.

"I'll go along with that, but I have to say thank you," Castle said as they tapped glasses.

"I know, and you're very welcome," Beckett said. "I hope you don't mind, but I was thinking about Saturday, that we'll celebrate your birthday then."

"No I don't mind at all," Castle said. "Either way, I'll get presents."

Rolling her eyes Beckett said, "Well good, because today wasn't all I have for you."

"I thought so," Castle said. "Tomorrow."

"Is tomorrow, what about it?" Beckett asked.

"We're going to Fisherman's Wharf, but I'd like you to kind of lead us," Castle said.

"I haven't been there for a long time Castle, and I don't think I ever went as much as your daughter says she has," Beckett pointed out. "So, I think it's better we leave things up to her… oh, and Diana since she'll be joining us."

"Julia will like it right? Not just because of the sea lions?" Castle asked.

"Unless they completely changed it, then yes, there's more than just that to get her interest," Beckett assured him. "You'll see tomorrow though. And since we've only just started tonight, then maybe we should focus on now."

"Right, of course," Castle said quickly. He changed the subject then and they kept talking as their food was brought to them.

"What do you think they're doing right now?" Beckett commented.

"Dessert and TV, though what they're watching… is anyone's guess," Castle said. "Are you worried?"

"No, they're safe, Alexis is very responsible, and we told them we'll go to the pool tomorrow night," Beckett said. "I just wonder how Julia is when we're not there."

Smiling at her use of we're, Castle reached over and squeezed her hand before she squeezed back. Returning to their meal, he asked her about when she and May had ridden horses together, the subject lasting a long time as they would branch off before coming back to it; both he and Beckett enjoying themselves immensely as they talked.

* * *

After giving their coats to the hat check, Beckett was the first to walk inside of the club her friend had told her about. She felt Castle's hand on her back, a little lower than she had expected and she turned to him. "Déjà vu," she commented.

"A little, circumstances were different," Castle said, having to talk loudly over the music. "Drink?"

"Actually, no," Beckett said, taking his hand and pulling him out to the dance floor. She pressed up close to him; not because they had very little space to move; but because she wanted to. His hand wrapped around her, holding onto the small of her back that time, and they began to move together to the song playing. Her breath quickened, and she had to wonder at the difference almost four years had made from when she had danced with him in a club the first time. She didn't try and restrain herself, there was no case, and things were a lot more intense then as he was moving with her instead of just watching her.

After a while, Castle's hold on her became almost desperate, wondering if she knew exactly what kind of effect she was having on him dancing as she was. He suddenly grabbed her with both hands before she moved down a little on him, and he pulled her back up. "There's only so much a man can take," he warned her, his mouth at her ear.

"Maybe I don't honestly care," Beckett replied, one arm around his neck so she would be close enough for him to hear. She could feel him tense at that, and she smiled slightly, brushing her lips against his, feeling his grip on her tightening in response as he quickly brushed his lips against hers twice before she could pull away.

Almost relieved when the song ended a while later, Castle took Beckett's hand before the next could start, and he led her to the bar, ordering two martinis before he slid his hand over her waist as she sat next to him while he remained standing. "You wanted to come for that reason?" he asked her, lips at her ear since the music had started up again.

"Oh no, I just wanted to dance," Beckett said, smiling behind her martini glass as she raised it to her lips. She sipped and saw that while he looked to be trying to handle how she was acting, his gaze was past her. "What is it?" she asked, turning her head in the same direction his was.

"Probably nothing," Castle said, feeling a little uneasy though as he watched the man at the end of the bar who hadn't stopped staring at his fiancée since she'd sat down. "Want to dance again after we finish these?"

"I thought I'd have to ask," Beckett said, looking into her drink. She suddenly felt Castle's hand on her thigh, and she looked down at it before up at him. She was taken aback when he kissed her, and hard. She knew abruptly that part of that was because of the man at the end of the bar, having noticed him as well. And when she pulled away from him she realized she was right as the man was approaching them. She saw the slightly predatory look in his eyes, and hurriedly finished off the rest of her drink asking Castle, "Ready to dance?"

"More than ready," he said, glancing at the man before he took Beckett's hand and helped her off the chair. They headed out to the dance floor, but before they could get too far, the man was shouldering past him, and grabbing his fiancée's arm roughly before he could stop him.

Beckett wrenched her arm out of the man's grasp, and let Castle lead her further away. She didn't bother to say a word to the man as she knew he wouldn't take no for an answer with the way he'd just grabbed her. Dancing again, she held onto Castle, and suddenly realized that he was tensing up. "What is it?" she asked, her lips near his ear.

"He's got an entourage apparently," Castle said, holding her close and trying to get them to move towards the door though it was hard as he was moving backwards. "And one of them has… a knife."

"We need to go," Beckett said. But before they could part and leave, she felt that same hand on her arm again, and she turned, slapping the man in the face as hard as she could while at the same time Castle stomped down on the foot of the man holding the knife before shoving him back into the people dancing behind him. That done, she ran ahead of her fiancé and out the door where they were able to get their coats before they dashed out since they'd left the third man of the group uninjured.

"I don't think we were followed," Castle said, breathing a little hard once they were in the back of a taxi. "Sorry, the Westin St. Francis," he said to the driver hurriedly who was looking back at them.

"So now can we not go to clubs together?" Beckett said after closing the partition while they went down the street. They looked out the back windshield, but didn't see anyone trying to run after the cab.

"Well, maybe if we go more the odds will favor us having a normal time," Castle said. "You never know," he said with a shrug.

"But before that point was nice," Beckett said, smiling slightly as she glanced at him.

Swallowing a little hard Castle said, "It was." He noticed she glanced at him again, but he didn't continue that, sitting back as she did the same. He stared straight ahead of them, watching the driver as his arm then began to move.

Looking down at Castle's hand as it slid over her knee; once his arm was wrapped around her waist; Beckett held her breath as it moved up her thigh. She bit her lower lip once, but he then stopped before his fingers could reach under her skirt, and she let out a slight breath she didn't know she was holding in. She looked around them, trying to discern where they were exactly, but unable to tell. She was unaware of how long it took them to get to Union Square, only knowing it was too long for her. She watched Castle as she waited for him to finishing paying, and wondered if he had recovered from the slight desperation he'd been going through when they'd started to dance.

"Do you want-" Castle started to say as he stepped up to her while the cab left. He was a little startled when she suddenly threw her arms around him, kissing him deeply. He recovered though, and hurriedly responded to her, forgetting for the moment that they were outside on a busy street. It wasn't until they heard a car honking as it went past them down Powell that they parted with a slight jump. He looked into Beckett's eyes then, and took her hand, pulling her with him into the lobby.

"It's still early," Beckett said as they were passing people who were just leaving to go out. "We weren't at the club for that long."

"No, but, I think our night went well," was all Castle said as they stepped inside one of the elevators.

Watching him as the car ascended, Beckett was trying to figure out why he was being so restrained. It was a little disconcerting, but he didn't appear to be mad at her, as he squeezed her hand back when she squeezed his. She smiled slightly as he looked at her, and was going to ask him what was wrong when the elevator stopped at the top of the hotel. They walked down to the room, and she wondered if he wanted to see his daughter. But they continued past the suite, and Castle didn't stop until they were at their door. "So we could maybe watch a movie now, since it is early," she said as she set her coat on the table, wanting to break the silence which felt deafening at that moment. "And-" she began before she was cut off by her own gasp of surprise when she felt him grabbing her, holding her tightly against him. " _Castle_ ," she breathed out.

"If you want me to stop, you have to tell me Kate," Castle warned her, his hands going over her body, trying to get through her dress though it was an immovable barrier at that point. "Tell me to stop," he whispered then before he bit lightly at her collarbone.

"If… no, don't," Beckett moaned as his right hand reached under her skirt and slid up her thigh deliberately. "You, can't," she gasped as he turned her around. She was able to say can't just before he kissed her, his lips crushing down on hers hard enough to make her lips throb in response. She responded immediately, holding onto the back of his neck as tightly as she could before he pulled away.

Assured he had her full permission, Castle pulled down the fabric of her dress that was on her shoulders, only enough so they were at the teetering point of falling off. He lowered his head, pressing his lips to the sides of her breasts, shuddering at the feel of the warm, silky skin under them before he stood back up. He was detained only to help Beckett pull off his blazer, and once that had joined the pile of coats on the table, he was unzipping her dress and taking her with him to the chez lounge in the back corner of the room as their mouths pressed together again hungrily.

The moment when she was laying down was lost to Beckett as she felt Castle pulling the top of her dress down to her waist and she cupped his cheek as he kissed her again quickly. She was breathing roughly as he slid his hand down her body, the sound of skin meeting skin loud in the room that was only echoing their panting breaths of air. She was a little startled when he suddenly pulled her skirt up, and she tried for a moment to take off her dress that was at that point nothing but bunched fabric circled at her waist. But he was moving quickly, and she was essentially naked except for the dress and her heels, her skin trembling in reaction to the cool air hitting it.

Castle kissed his way across Beckett's neck as he felt her unbuttoning his shirt as he quickly opened his fly himself, not wanting to wait for her to finish, and he moved up to her lips as he slid inside of her, groaning in pleasure with her before he immediately began to move. He didn't bother to try working up to it or seeing what she wanted, he began to thrust very hard as he had been holding back and since he found he didn't have to anymore, he could go crazy if he wanted to. He was expecting her to protest, or try and slow him down, but he was soon feeling her moving at the same pace he was, and that seemed to spur him on to move faster. He was groaning heavily against her neck after a while, their hips slamming with an audible smack against each other. He moved to look at her, watching the way her teeth were catching at her lower lip whenever he sank into her.

Feeling Castle taking her lips, Beckett moaned lightly when he began to nibble, and she stroked the back of his head before he turned it into a kiss. It was short however, because as fast as they were moving, they couldn't catch their breath as quickly. But she didn't mind, as Castle's lips drifted down her body and she could feel the sharp heat of pleasure that it gave her. She grabbed at his head tightly when he took her right breast, arching her back up against him and nearly breaking their rhythm together. But she was able to find him again as he held her hip with one hand, guiding her. She moved her arms so she could wrap them around him, and held him tightly to her as he pulled away just enough to breathe on her moist skin, her nipple hardening instantly.

Castle detoured quickly at her lips, taking them hard as well and feeling a thrill when she immediately responded in kind. It added to what he was already feeling with each time he sank into her, and he moved down again when they shortly needed to breathe, feeling he needed more than he was already getting and giving her. He slid one hand underneath her hips, having her tilt them and feeling the smooth fabric still around her sliding around his fingers. He looked down their bodies, in between them, watching them moving together. He would have slipped into an out of body experience; if Beckett hadn't tugged on the back of his neck, bringing him down. He took her other breast, at her non-verbal insistence, and suckled hungrily almost at the nipple before he gasped out for air. "I can't stop," he managed to groan before he was literally ramming into her.

Letting out a sort of cry that she would never be able to recreate later, Beckett wanted to speak, but was unable to as she tried to work her body to move with him. It took longer than she thought it would, but as soon as they were relatively even, she turned her head enough so she could take his earlobe between her teeth. In sharp, obvious contrast to how they were thrusting to one another, she nibbled on the skin gently, feeling him shuddering and his rhythm breaking up slightly before he moved away; making her stop to her slightly frustrated groan.

Moving his hand from underneath her, Castle slid his fingers along her side, watching intently as her skin trembled from his touch before he reached the underside of her breast. He carefully cupped it, watching her tensing up under him. Her face was a mask of pleasure as he didn't take long to move his hand a little higher, and started circling her nipple with his thumb. He was transfixed by the sight of her long, lean form pressing down onto the chez lounge, the white and blue fabric she was on top of showing off her creamy skin and making his mouth water. So it took little time for his mouth to replace his hand, and his moved to stimulate her other breast as she held him against her again. He moved between her two mounds appreciatively, until he was sure they'd been given enough attention. He worked his way up to her mouth then, kissing every inch he could reach until he got to her lips.

All that time Beckett had left her legs as they'd been, one up on the chez lounge while the other had slipped down, her foot on the floor. It gave her the chance to match his pace and keep up with him, and let her angle her hips as she desired. She ran her hands down his back as they kept kissing though they ended up being quicker than they wanted to be again. She could feel each muscle in his back as it moved, straining to give her pleasure, when he had spent a lot of time suppressing his desire for her. It touched her greatly, and she only hoped she could return the favor somehow. But the thought was lost as Castle suddenly turned his head, kissing her neck and nibbling his way down her collarbone, making her almost pound her foot onto the floor in response, the fire he set off in her licking over every inch of her body as it spread through her rapidly and she tried to take on the ecstasy it instantly gave her.

Castle could sense they were getting close, knowing time had passed by; though he only hoped he hadn't made that a quick bout between them with the rapidity of his thrusts. And he decided that if he had, he could easily make it up to her later that night. He was distracted suddenly, when he heard Beckett suddenly crying something out, and he raised his head from her left breast to listen.

"I… Castle, I love you!" Beckett managed to gasp out somehow before she lost control of herself completely and she was moving against him frantically. Her climax was leaving her breathless, almost dizzy, but she could faintly hear Castle's groan of, "I love you Kate!" as he moved haphazardly against her repeatedly, and much deeper than he had so far that night. She was trying to fight the urge to suddenly shriek, as feeling him join her set her off for a second time, and she wrapped her legs around him tightly, holding him to her as he shuddered against her yet again before they slowly came to a stop, panting hard almost at the same time.

Hearing him groan a drawn out, single curse after a while, Beckett couldn't help smile at that and said, "That's what we just did, but why did you point it out?"

Letting out a slight groan, Castle raised himself above her and replied, "You planned that didn't you?"

"I might have," Beckett said with a wider smile. She laughed slightly as he groaned again at that, and she kissed him lightly on the lips. "Off," she told him simply.

Quick to respond, Castle sat on the chez lounge as she stood, helping her very wrinkled dress to the floor as she escorted it down her hips. "You were too much to resist," he told her, feeling like he should apologize for the state of her clothes.

"And that is a great compliment," Beckett simply before she strode over to the room; still in her heels and besides those shoes, completely naked.

His eyes wide as he watched her, Castle shook himself and stood, discarding everything he still had on before he walked after her, not trusting himself to run in the state he'd rapidly found himself in. When he got to the bed he watched as Beckett lay back on it, and looked up at him. Breathing in deeply, he sat on the bed next to her, and slid her shoes off her feet, shoving the heels off without bothering to worry if they made it to the floor. He kissed her hard, feeling a little guilty as he felt he should have gone a little more slowly that time. But when she responded, he kept that up, trying to make up for the roughness as he let her tongue into his mouth; at the same time his hand was reaching in between their bodies, fingers slipping against the apex of her legs.

Pulling away with a sigh of pleasure, Beckett watched as Castle stimulated her for a while. She then stopped him, taking his hand from between them and kissing it lightly before she raised her head and whispered into his ear. She nearly laughed as he got an eager look on his face, and turned around, lying on his side before she gently took his erection into her hand as his fingers sought in between her legs yet again.

Pleasuring each other at the same time, it seemed to become a kind of unspoken race between Castle and Beckett, to see who could get the other off first. It was little surprise when he was able to make her shudder and cry out in her orgasm, and he kept stimulating her with his mouth, tongue and fingers until she was limp on the bed. But she regained enough strength to return the favor using her own mouth and hands to coax him into his climax to his sharp hiss that became a groan which could have been her name. When he had recovered enough, he moved and laid down in the middle of the bed, Beckett curled up against his side, her cheek pressed to his shoulder.

Not really wanting to say anything, Castle reached up and began to stroke Beckett's hair, running his fingers through it gently as she sighed in response to that. He leaned down a little, not surprised her head was raised to meet him, and they kissed gently before he pulled away. "You surprise me sometimes," he commented finally, breaking the silence of the room. "And in a good way."

"What, how I was dancing?" Beckett asked with a slight smile.

"Not exactly, just the fact that you were trying to push me so hard there," Castle remarked.

"Well, I thought, we made it out of the bay, we're here, I don't really want to waste my time taking things so simply incessantly," Beckett said with a slight smile. "And I really needed… this."

"I'll agree with you there," Castle murmured as he brushed his lips across her forehead as he was talking. "And I enjoyed myself thoroughly."

"Hmm," was all that Beckett said in response as she could feel his hands holding her to him. She bit her lower lip as their bodies were pressed close together, and she suddenly sat up.

"What?" Castle asked, following her quickly.

Looking at him, Beckett cupped his cheeks and pulled him down enough so his lips meet hers. She sighed deeply in pleasure as he kissed her back, and their tongues seemed to meet exactly in between them before she allowed him into her mouth. She waited; not really caring that she had to as she was taking some joy in the kiss; until they had stopped and she leaned over to his ear. She kissed the lobe to make sure she had his attention before she whispered to him, "Fuck me Castle."

Almost physically jerking at hearing her say that; she had never done that before; Castle pulled back and looked at her intently to make sure she was serious. He saw that she was, and he hurriedly laid her back down, getting on top of her. He kissed her hard as his hand spread her legs though they were already; using that as an excuse to make sure she was ready for what she had just asked. He shuddered slightly when he felt she was, and he moved, entering her not slowly as he had earlier in the other room, but roughly and hard enough to push her to the top of the bed a little. But she made no protest, and he knew she wouldn't want him to wait; so he proceeded to move.

The first thrust was a sense of relief for Beckett, and she arched her back some as she moaned in response. She was still a little unsure of where exactly the desire to feel him rough against her, inside her, had come from. But she never tried to explain her sudden yens when it came to Castle. He had a way of making her want what she wasn't sure she was going to need from him as much as she found she did. She wrapped her leg around his waist then, sliding it up as high as was comfortable for her, feeling him sinking inside of her deeper, making her breath gasp out that time. She slid her nails over his hair, getting down to his scalp, and moaned as he took her lower lip with his teeth, nibbling it before he kissed her.

Groaning as Beckett's other leg abruptly wrapped around his legs above his knees, Castle was trying to figure out why she was so amorous that night; her thrusts having started shortly after he'd begun. But it was too hard to think about when he had her at that moment. He decided to take the same mentality she had; they were together and they didn't need to waste time. He pulled away from her lips reluctantly, but consoled himself with watching her before lowering his head.

Running her right hand over the back of his head, Beckett could feel his lips trailing over her right shoulder. He never pulled away, just slid them along her skin and the affect was instant, as if he was tracing pure heat along her. The sensation affected the rest of her body, and she was almost gasping for air as he suddenly moved. She had to recover quickly as she found herself on her knees as he got on his own, and they moved back to their rhythm they'd worked out together before she was kissing him.

With his hands able to move, Castle reached in between them and cupped her breasts as they continued to kiss in quick, short bursts as they tried to keep breathing. He felt her shuddering as he squeezed her gently and then moved down, holding the small of her back before he kissed all over her chest, whatever he could reach. He felt their skin sliding together with their movements, could feel how fast they were going, and he wasn't surprised to find enough time had passed to leave a sheen of sweat on them both. He took her left breast with his mouth, sucking very slowly; wanting the contradiction between that and their bodies thrusting together. He knew she enjoyed that and it was no different at the moment as she grabbed at his back tightly, her nails lightly scraping along the skin.

Looking down and watching as Castle moved over her, Beckett could sense that she was not going to be able to take much more, so she stopped, making him look up at her. She was a little startled when he stopped easily after she had, and she bit her lower lip before kissing him gently.

A rush of pleasure went through him at that, and Castle reached up to her hair, tangling his fingers in it to hold her against his lips. As he was doing that, he reached down in between them, and his fingers easily found her swollen nub. He gently rubbed against it, and felt her pull away, her breath leaving her in a rush. "More?" he asked, seeing her slightly startled expression on her face.

Getting off of him, Beckett lay back down, and pulled him with her before he settled back on top of her body, entering her hard. She didn't care about the scream that left her mouth at that, just wrapped her arms and legs around Castle; not caring how they were positioned; as he proceeded to take her roughly yet again. Running her hands over his hair and back, she became a little frantic in her motions, as the brief pause they had was more than enough to bring her a step closer to the end. She could feel his mouth against her breasts then, working over both in the same frantic haste she'd been moving in. She was a little surprised when he suddenly pulled back, and she could see his arm moving out of the corner of her eye.

Seeing Beckett watching him, Castle was quick to tuck the pillow he grabbed under her hips, and with it set, went back to her, kissing her hard as that first thrust after was bringing him deep inside her again. He groaned against her lips as he could feel her reacting, and the sensation was setting off a sharp shock of what he could almost call electricity through his entire body. It kept on happening then as he moved from her lips to her neck and shoulders, and he didn't try to resist following that feeling to its inevitable conclusion.

Beckett wasn't sure when exactly it happened or if there was anything to cause it, but she was suddenly grabbing onto Castle as tightly as she could, crying out his name; that time able to tell she was saying it. Her voice was a little distorted with her moans and gasps of pleasure, but as she could feel him following her to his own climax, it didn't really matter since his yell of her name was lost against the skin of her neck. She wasn't sure if they were able to push each other a second time, things became too much of a blur for her to say for sure, but she was feeling enough pleasure for her to feel like they could have. When they had stopped moving, and had gotten their breathing more in control, she was surprised when he pulled away from her as he kissed her deeply.

"You're going to kill me," Castle groaned, laying on his side as he wrapped his arm around her tightly, bringing her against him.

"What would be the point in doing that?" Beckett sighed as he then sat up to cover them both as the room was a little cold. "Tomorrow," she breathed a little. "Will be interesting."

"It will, I'm just hoping I'm not exhausted," Castle said. He kissed her on the lips; a much more chaste kiss than the ones they'd been exchanging since returning to their suite; and said, "But it'll have been well worth it if I am."

"I'm agreeing with you completely on that," Beckett said with a slight smile, reaching up to his lips. She watched as he took her hand, lightly kissing the tips of her fingers before folding his hand over hers. "I love you," she murmured gently.

"I love you too Kate," Castle said. He kissed her again, and then settled down to sleep, keeping her close against him as he began to nod off quickly from his exertions.

Watching him for a little longer, Beckett smiled to herself; a little pleased her plan had worked so well for them both; and she snuggled against him more. Settled, she closed her eyes with a sigh and was asleep before she knew it, knowing the sated exhaustion was something they were both sharing as they let their bodies finally get some much needed rest.


	11. Above The Blue And Windy Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song I Left My Heart In San Francisco written by Douglass Cross, music by George Cory.

Walking back inside the bedroom, Castle paused in the doorway, watching Beckett as she slept for a moment. He shook himself, and went to her nightstand, setting down the two cups of coffee he'd gotten from room service there and he undressed before climbing onto the bed on his side. He slid over to her and watched her again before he leaned down, kissing her exposed shoulder a few times until she turned onto her back in response. "Morning," he said, seeing her eyes opening.

"Morning," Beckett replied, yawning slightly. "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty," Castle said. "Going to sleep more?"

"No, I think I'm awake, sort of," Beckett sighed.

"I got us some coffee, if you want to wake up some more," Castle told her, nodding to the nightstand.

"Oh good," Beckett said shortly as she sat up, not really caring that she was still naked under the covers as they fell to her lap. She grabbed one of the mugs and handed it to Castle before taking the other. She sat back against her pillow that she'd propped up against the headboard, and took a few sips before looking at him. "What?" she asked, a little startled at the look in his eyes.

As he'd been watching her, Castle was easily reminded of the night before, and he swallowed a little hard, what he could see of her form enough to tempt him into desiring the same again. He took her mug out of her hand, setting them both on his nightstand since it was closer, then pulled down the sheets and comforter before he grabbed her.

A little shocked when Castle suddenly pushed her against the headboard, Beckett held onto him tightly as he kissed her. She had to break it off shortly, as she didn't have enough breath to linger in that. She looked at him again, seeing the same intense look as before and she whispered, "Just… don't stop," as she realized her dreams had not been how they'd made love the night before. She looked on as he slid his fingers over her, and would have blushed if she hadn't guessed he might have had dreams of a similar bent as her own had been. She was suddenly crying out then, as he sank into her; slowly that time.

Taking her legs off him before they could wrap around his waist, Castle held them before he began to move. He groaned with her at the first thrust, and then leaned up, kissing her deeply as he went fast, needing it and hoping she wasn't going to mind as he could not restrain himself. He felt her arms wrapping around him tightly, and he pulled away from the kiss enough to look up into her eyes. He could see they were darkened, and he felt a sense of reassurance, as he didn't want to be doing that to her without her with him.

Stroking Castle's cheek as they stared at one another as their bodies moved quickly in unison, Beckett realized abruptly that the bed was hitting the wall behind it. And she was suddenly glad that they were in a corner suite, since that wall was facing Geary Street. She lost the train of thought when he moved down to her neck, and she pressed herself back against the headboard as he moved lower. She grit her teeth together in disappointment when he couldn't reach her breasts except for the tops of them, but she tried to shake that off as he consoled them both with brushing his lips around her upper chest, nipping a little at the hollow of her throat around her pendant.

Feeling that reaction, Castle did that a few more times before he was raising his head, kissing her. They went a little crazy at the same time, even without being able to say anything, and they increased their pace at his lead since she needed to catch up with him. But they were soon moving together, faster and harder, and he was groaning out as every time he moved he was feeling those same sparks of pleasure that made his head literally spin as he tried to control his body's reaction to her. But he found that unlike the night before, he was having a hard time controlling himself. He pulled away from his kisses with Beckett, looking at his fiancée and a little startled to see she was reacting the same way he was.

Unsure how much time had passed as well, just knowing that her skin was already covered in enough sweat for it to have been a while, Beckett felt Castle pressing his forehead against hers, and she looked at him, biting her lower lip hard. "You… no! Damn it, Castle, don't stop," she said when he suddenly paused. She tried to move, but even holding her legs he was able to keep her from starting up again. Out of desperation when all he did for a few minutes was kiss her, she reached in between them and began to rub at her swollen nub, moving a little in response to the instant gratification that was giving her after so long without any kind of stimulation.

"I can easily leave you to finish," Castle said warningly when he realized what she was doing and had pulled away.

"You, you wouldn't," Beckett said, hearing his tone of voice and immediately stopping.

"I wouldn't push me to try," Castle said, relieved she'd believed him. He then let go of her left leg, and reached up, fondling her breasts for a moment before he started to thrust again. That time he let her wrap that leg around his waist, and he used his free hand to caress her body, her short gasps and moans lost in their mouths as he kissed her again at the same time. He kept that up for a while, and then suddenly stopped, again stopping her but that time holding her by the waist to make sure she did. His hand shot out, grasping her wrist before he slid it down herself and entwining their fingers together, kissing her as a distraction as he was doing it very slowly and sensuously that time.

Breathing roughly as she pulled away from him, Beckett reached up to his face, cupping it with her hands as she brushed her lips against him, trying to coax him to move again, though she wasn't sure if it was working. When he suddenly began to thrust again, she let out a shocked breath and held him to her, hoping that time he wouldn't stop again. As if he'd heard her internal wish, she could feel him moving harder, trying to move more intensely since they were already going as fast as they could. She could feel her muscles straining slightly; three times so close together at that speed was not something her body was used to. She had to wonder how he was holding out, since he'd done most of the work the night before. But she felt something inside her snap, and her body; already on fire with everything he was making her feel; tensed up as she clutched almost desperately at Castle, crying out in more shock than pleasure at first. But it slid into ecstasy soon enough, and she moved haphazardly, not caring they were very much off since she was greatly distracted as she could feel him joining her shortly.

Holding onto Beckett with both hands as she wrapped her legs tightly around him, Castle groaned her name, wondering if there was going to be a time her climaxes weren't going to tempt him to try and make her do it again. But he soon began to calm down, breathing heavily as his body finally made him slow down before stopping completely. He was a little shaky; knowing that three times of that was almost more than he could take; but he was able to pull away from her and lay on his back, on her pillow in the middle of the bed as his was gone for some reason. He felt her laying on top of him, on his chest, her fingertips brushing against his jaw. "If that was too much-" he started to say, looking at her as he was a little concerned she hadn't wanted the intensity he'd given her.

Cutting him off with a kiss, Beckett lingered longer than she had meant to, but figured he'd still be reassured she hadn't cared how they'd made love. Pulling away she said, "How long do we have?"

Looking at his watch over her, Castle said, "About ten minutes. I was also going to say though, that you were too tempting."

"I figured," Beckett said. "And I'm glad to hear that as well. But you know you almost knocked over the coffee?"

"I did?" Castle asked, raising his head and looking over at the nightstand. He then saw his pillow on the floor and said, "Okay, well… I was in a rush."

"You definitely were," Beckett said. "But you know those are cold now."

"Do you mind?" Castle asked. When she shook her head he said, "Then I'll make us some more. We're having a quick breakfast you said?"

"Small, and yes, because we're having an early lunch," Beckett answered. She leaned down then and kissed Castle before he could say anything else, deepening it once he was responding to her. When they pulled away, she pressed her forehead to his as they kept on kissing, but a lot faster than that one.

"You know this- ow!" Castle exclaimed when he was suddenly pinched on the side. "What did I do?"

"Stopping like you did, more than once," Beckett said. "Do you know how frustrating it is when you do that?"

"Yes, of course I do," Castle said. "I'm going through the same thing you are."

"Then why do it?" Beckett said exasperatedly.

"Do you want me not to do that?" Castle said.

"Not when we're being that… rough," Beckett said.

"Okay," Castle replied slowly.

"You're still going to do it aren't you?" Beckett commented as she looked at the expression on his face. She sighed when he gave her a slightly sheepish look and she kissed him on the lips saying, "You're lucky I love you."

"Oh, I knew that already before I tried that out, so I knew you might get angry, but in the end you'd want it again, I'm that good," Castle said, putting his hands under his head, a mock smirk on his face. When Beckett slapped his chest he said defensively, "At guessing you'd like it, what did you think I meant?"

Beckett was saved from having to answer that seriously as the alarm on her phone started to ring and she got off of him before she went to the edge of the bed. She was a little surprised when he followed her, wrapping his arm around her waist before she could stand. "I'm not mad," she told him with a smile as she realized why he started to kiss her bare shoulders. "But I think you should make it up to me tonight."

"Definitely," Castle said quickly. "After we spend the day as tourists."

"Exactly," Beckett said, turning back to him to share a lingering kiss before they got up.

* * *

"Ready?" Castle asked Julia as they were standing in line for the trolley, lucky to be the first in line after the trolley before had left.

"Yeah, I go back with Alexis?" Julia said, looking up at the adults.

"Yes, but please, don't stick your hands or head over the side of the car," Beckett said.

"What if I go with them? Carry her?" Castle asked. When Beckett only looked at him he nodded saying, "Okay, then we'll sit up front, you two in the back." He followed his fiancée then to the front of the cable car the two workers had spun back around on the line on the turntable by hand, and they were let on. "You said you rode these?" he asked once they were sure the two were okay in the back on the platform.

"I did, a couple times, with May and the others we were friends with," Beckett said. "My first time she had me ride on the back too. I get the feeling Diana did the same with Alexis," she commented with a smile as she was remembering. She turned to Castle then as he took her hand and she squeezed it back as the car filled up with people.

"Hold on," Alexis told Julia as the cable car jerked slightly into motion and then slid on the track. She was holding her close against her to keep her from the steps on the other side of the platform, and gave their tickets to the man with them before he headed inside.

"There's where we sleep!" Julia said as they passed their hotel. She felt the car going up a hill and asked, "Do we go down?"

"We have to, since we're going to the top of a hill. "And we have to go down to Fisherman's Wharf."

"I'm excited," Julia said with a little jump of exuberance. She watched as they came to a stop and some more people got on the cable car. "Are my mommy and Castle okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine, but aren't going to see as much as we will, people are standing in front of them," Alexis answered. She held Julia's hand as the little girl went to the doorway of the inside portion of the car asking, "Can you see them?"

"Yeah, they waved to me," Julia said before Alexis joined her and they waved to their parents before standing back where they'd been. Eventually the car started to go down, and she squealed in pleasure as they were pressed against the wall of the interior. "Why don't we go fast?" she asked Alexis as they stopped.

"We have to let people get on and off, and I don't think you want to fly down the hill," the young woman answered, slight laughter in her voice. Another ten minutes of stopping and going down some steep hills, and the trolley reached the other end of the line. She held Julia's hand until the others had gone off the car, and she stepped to the stairs when her dad appeared at the bottom.

"So how was it?" Castle couldn't help laugh as Julia jumped into his arms. "Fun I take it?"

"Lots, but I wanna sit where you and Mommy were sitting next time," Julia said eagerly.

"You will," Beckett commented before Castle handed her her daughter. She kissed Julia's cheek and said, "Are you ready for Fisherman's Wharf?"

"Yeah, where is it?" Julia asked in excitement.

"This way," Alexis said, leading the way north of the cable car stop. When they reached Jefferson she turned to her dad and said, "Look familiar."

"Definitely, I did not realize the sign was that big," Castle commented as they looked at the Fisherman's Wharf sign on the northeast corner of the intersection. "So," he began as Julia was taking a picture. "We're not eating until eleven thirty and it's a little after eleven. What's the plan Alexis?"

"This way," his daughter said again, turning to go into the store they were in front of. She looked at Beckett and said, "I forgot to ask if you want to visit these shops."

"No, I do, I wanted to get a shirt or two for her," Beckett replied. "Maybe a jacket too, how are they on Pier 39?"

"Pretty good, they do have Alcatraz stuff in this one store on the pier," Alexis told her.

"Sweetie, why don't we look around here," Beckett said to her daughter. "And if you see a shirt you like tell me and if they don't have it at the other store then I'll-"

"We'll," Castle broke in, smiling when his fiancée looked at him.

"We'll get it for you okay?" Beckett asked. When Julia merely nodded; too busy looking around them; she took her hand and led them more inside the store.

Taking her dad's hand, Alexis led him over to the section of the store with Alcatraz items, and they looked over the books that were offered; as well as some DVDs; before Julia ran over to them to get them to leave since Beckett had paid for the calendar the little girl had picked out.

"Any chance I can see that?" Castle asked, walking up to his fiancée as he was holding Julia on his hip.

"It's hers," Beckett with a slight smile.

"He can see, but Mommy, I'm hungry already," Julia said in a slight whine.

"You're in luck," Alexis said, looking at her watch. "It's eleven thirty, so we can cross." Going to the other side of Jefferson, she led the way into Boudin Bakery, and took her dad and Beckett to the line. "So there is a restaurant upstairs," she commented. "But I love eating outside, and today's pretty warm… sort of."

"We'll eat outside, because that's actually what I did when I was here, of course, it was closer to the end of summer, so it wasn't that bad," Beckett commented. "But Castle? Castle," she said, poking his side to get his attention as he was looking at a display of drinks with Julia.

"Yeah? What can I help you with?" he asked, turning his head to her. "She wants this to drink."

"That fine," Beckett said, taking the bottle of juice. "Go outside and grab a table, if my memory serves me correctly, there's a fireplace out that door and to the right, right next to an exit." She saw that Castle and Alexis looked surprised at her detail and she asked, "What?"

"That's exactly right," Alexis quickly said when her dad looked at her questioningly. "Hopefully they have it going, Julia should be warm there Dad, go."

"Right, you have an amazing memory," Castle said, murmuring the last to his fiancée before he left with Julia.

"He's right, you do," Alexis said as they waited to order. "Diana's aunt?"

"I grabbed a table for us my first time here," Beckett said. "And sat in front of the fireplace which May didn't like, so we moved to the opposite end of the area. Though really, the heat didn't reach that far from it, I think she was just teasing me about not being able to take the Frisco winds as she called them," she said with a slight roll of her eyes as Alexis smiled at that.

Outside, Castle set Julia down on one of the chairs at the table that Beckett had directed him to saying, "If that's too hot, tell me okay?"

"Can I take this off?" Julia asked, starting to unbutton her coat.

"Let me help," Castle said, helping her with the large buttons. "Okay, so where do you want me to sit, I'll let you decide."

"There," Julia said, pointing to the chair next to hers. "And my mommy sits here."

"That's… they're inside ordering Diana," Castle said when he saw his daughter's friend hurrying up to them, surprised to see a tall African American man with her.

"Who's that?" Julia asked when the two had gone into the restaurant.

"I don't know, but I'm sure if Diana brought him then he's her friend," Castle said. He counted the chairs, and grabbed one more before they waited for the others to come out.

"So basically nothing's changed," Beckett said as she set down a tray with three bread bowls and drinks down on the table. "Not even the logo on the paper tray."

"Who's-" Castle started to say as he took one of the trays.

"Their friend from Hindu Mythology, his name is Mitch," Beckett said. "Just a friend."

"No, I guessed," Castle said quickly. "Hey, glad you two were able to join us for lunch," he said as his daughter came out with Diana and Mitch.

"Just for lunch sir," Mitch quickly said "Alexis invited me, said she wanted me to meet you all while you were here."

"He's the one I told you about who was able to talk the leaders of the Iskcon Temple to let us hold a class there," Alexis said. "And it was a fun class."

"It's a great temple," Mitch said. "My boyfriend and I are part of the Hare Krishna movement… not strictly, but we meditate, and like to take on those ideals. And Professor Prasad is a great teacher; we had to help him out."

"I take it you pitched in too," Beckett said to Alexis who merely smiled at that, holding on to Julia who was hiding behind her. "Sorry, this is my daughter Julia, who's a little shy; sweetie, this is Alexis' friend Mitch."

"Hey, it's nice to meet you, Alexis has told me a lot about you," the young man said as they sat down. "She also said you like to do yoga, that's pretty cool for a five year old girl."

"Thank you," Julia said with a blush.

"Do you live here in San Francisco?" Beckett asked him as they waited for their soup to cool down.

"I'm definitely a local, I live off Alamo Square with my boyfriend; he's in our class too actually, but he went to San Jose to see his parents this week while I'm staying with mine in San Mateo. How are you enjoying the city? This your first time here at the Wharf?" Mitch asked.

"For me and Julia yes, Beckett's been here before," Castle said. "She went to Stanford."

"Oh right, you said she's a friend of your aunt's, I already forgot," Mitch said.

"Mommy," Julia said, tugging at her mother's sleeve and trying to whisper though everyone still heard her. "How do I eat this?"

Beckett smiled at that and picked up the top chunk of sourdough that had been cut out of the loaf to make the bowl, and she then tore a piece before handing it to Julia. "Just dip that in the soup for now since it's too hot to eat, and see if you like the bread."

"It's just sourdough though," Castle commented before he noticed the expressions on Diana and Mitch's faces.

"Not really, San Francisco sourdough's unique," Diana said. "You'll see why when you try it."

"It tastes like it's sour," Julia was saying then as she finished her bite. "But not like sour candies."

"Can you eat it?" Beckett asked.

"I like it," Julia said simply before she got another piece to dip in the clam chowder.

"I was worried how she'd like it," Beckett said to the others. "Well?" she asked Castle, seeing he was getting more bread from the top of his loaf.

"You were right," Castle said to Diana and Mitch. "And it's pretty good. So locals like this too."

"They do," Diana said. "Not everyone of course, but a lot; it's why it was so crowded inside and it's not even noon yet."

Mitch then began to ask what they'd done on their trip so far and Beckett and Castle let Alexis answer for them, since they couldn't really reply with much as they'd been working on the case. Eventually the three were talking together as Beckett was talking quietly with Castle towards the end of the meal.

"Sure you can't stay longer?" Alexis was asking Mitch while they cleaned up their paper trays and drinks.

"No, I wish I could, but my mom wants to make dinner for my cousins who're coming tonight, and she needs my help early," Mitch said. "I'll see you in class next week though Alexis, Diana," he told the two as he hugged them. "And it was nice to meet you," he then directed to Castle and Beckett. "You too Julia."

Waving as the young man left, Julia then asked, "What now?"

"This way," Alexis said quickly, taking her hand as they left the seating area. She held one of Julia's hands as Diana took the little girl's other, and she turned back to make sure her dad and Beckett were following.

"I've wanted to ask," Castle said as they walked by a round restaurant near Boudin. "You and Alexis are… you're not… what are you talking about when you two are by yourselves? Like yesterday and just now in there?"

"Interesting way of posing that question," Beckett said. She then shrugged and said, "We just talk, what exactly are you thinking? That I'm asking her for embarrassing stories about you when she was growing up?"

"Oh, please don't ask her that, she's got a good cache of those," Castle said, shaking his head. "I don't need you doubting if I'd be a good father to Julia."

"We got that set Castle, stop worrying," Beckett said simply. She squeezed his upper arm she was holding on to and said, "We do get along, if we hadn't you would have noticed by now. But you know this… family we have; even though it isn't exactly set in stone; is, well, it works," shrugging slightly.

"It does, even my mother said," Castle commented. "We really need to thank Julia for what she's done for us. I know she didn't set out to do that on purpose, but maybe I should buy her something…"

"You've done that enough," Beckett said, shaking her head though there was a slight smile on her face. "But what you can do is spend more time with her, just you two."

"Here or at home too?" Castle asked.

"Both," Beckett said before they followed the three in front of them into a building back on the Pier from Boudin. "Here?" she called to the two young women seeing the place was called the Musée Mécanique.

"I picked it out for you Dad, and Julia should like it too," Alexis said.

"It's… arcade games," Castle said as he looked around the huge building. "Really?"

"Really, this place made me think of you the first time I came here," Alexis replied with a wide smile. "But, you know we have a lot more to see today."

"Then we'll just spend a few dollars," Castle said. He was going to say more but Julia suddenly cried out and ran back to him and Beckett, holding on to them tightly.

"That's Laffing Sal," Diana said as the little girl had obviously reacted to the large doll inside a case to their left. "She always scared me whenever I came here when I was little, but she just laughs. There are better games this way Julia."

"She's right, but Di and I are heading on our own. Or would you like to join us?" Alexis asked.

"I stay with Mommy and Castle," Julia immediately answered.

"Then have a lot of fun Jules," Alexis said, tousling her hair to her giggle, since Julia's reddish brown locks were in two braids. "We'll see you in about twenty minutes, and head over to Pier 39."

"Don't forget twenty minutes," Castle said. "Okay," he said to Beckett and Julia when they were alone. "Should I get three dollars in change?"

"That should last the twenty minutes," Beckett said. "Come on sweetie," she told her daughter who was watching Laffing Sal suddenly begin as a child fed a quarter in it. She took Julia's hand, leading her to the change machine where Castle was already getting quarters and she scooped them up saying, "I'll hold on to these, just in case we don't spend them in twenty minutes time."

"We will," Castle assured her. "I want to head over to Pier 39 too. So where are we going first Julia?" When the little girl giggled shyly at him he smiled before she took his hand, pulling him to a game that had a baseball field in it. "Interesting, do you know what to do?" he asked as he picked Julia up.

"You need to press this," Beckett explained after the little girl had shaken her head no. "And try and hit the ball that comes down the ramp." She took Julia and said, "Let's let Castle try first so you can see."

After taking a quarter from his fiancée, Castle tried hitting the first ball, but missed saying, "I think I might need some practice."

"You just need to time- see?" Beckett began but then stopped as he was able to hit the second ball and got it into the double slot at the other end. She smiled when Julia giggled at the figure of a player on the bottom of the game running around to second base, and when Castle had finished she said, "Want to try now?"

"Yeah, help me Mommy?" Julia asked. She kissed her mother's cheek as Beckett stood in front of the game, and once Castle had slipped in a quarter, put her hand on the handle of the game. With her mother's hand helping her, she was able to get the player on the bottom to third base, and she clapped when it turned off saying, "Can we do something else?"

"Of course, we've got a lot of quarters, so why don't we see what else-" Castle started to say.

"Come here, I want to play this game!" Julia cut him off suddenly exuberantly as she grabbed his hand once Beckett had set her down.

Watching them as she followed behind them, Beckett couldn't help smile as Castle hurried after the little girl. She watched them go to a large model of a carnival, and looked on as her fiancé put a quarter into the machine, and everything in it began to move and music played. She slid her hand into Castle's, smiling quickly at him before they watched Julia together, running around and taking pictures as she exclaimed in her excitement.

* * *

Walking back to the front of the museum, Alexis scanned the games there, looking for her dad and Beckett, when Diana tapped her shoulder. She smiled when she saw the two were playing an air hockey game, Julia running in between them on the side of the table as they were hitting the puck back and forth. "Who's winning?" she called as they approached.

"I am, even though your dad is pretty obviously cheating," Beckett said, hitting the puck straight to his goal, hitting his fingers which were clearly blocking it though he was trying to be nonchalant.

"Ah… yeah, she's winning," Castle hissed, putting his fingers to his mouth. "She won," he added as the puck had gone back to her and she'd scored her fifteenth goal. "So that's our last quarters, and we managed to finish before twenty minutes were up. Are you ready to head to the pier?"

"I am, I am!" Julia cried, jumping up and down with her hand in the air. "Carry me?"

"Sure," Castle said, starting to pick her up.

"On your shoulders?" Julia asked a little shyly.

"Not a problem," Castle said easily. He swung her up so her legs would drape over his shoulders, and he followed the others back outside. "If it's too windy I'll bring you down," he said to Julia.

"I'm warm," the little girl said easily, waving at her mother who looked back at them.

Walking on the northern side of Jefferson, Diana and Alexis were chatting eagerly about their class together and also what they had decided to write about for their essays. Beckett was walking with Castle, and they talked with Julia as she peppered them with questions about the Pier.

"We're almost there," Alexis said, as they crossed a street and went past an ice cream stand. "Put her down Dad, there's something I wanted to show her." She took Julia's hand and they went past flower beds with tulips and poppies in full bloom, dotting the darker asphalt with spring colors. "We'll get pictures of them when we come back, believe me, they're great for that," she quickly said as Julia tried to stop her. "I want you to see this and the sea lions first Jules, because I know you'll like them."

"Ooh, is that it?" Julia breathed out as she saw the statue in front of them.

"Yeah, what do you think?" Alexis asked as they all stood in front of the statue of three sea lions; obviously supposed to be a male, female and young pup.

"Pretty, can I take my picture in front of it?" Julia asked.

"Of course," Beckett said. "Want me to take-" she started to ask, holding out her hand. She was a little surprised when her daughter shook her head no, and instead gave her camera to Diana.

"You want all of us in the picture?" Castle commented, glancing at Alexis and hoping that answer was a yes.

"Yeah is that… wrong?" Julia asked, pursing her lips slightly.

"No, come on, let's take the picture and then go see the real ones," Beckett said, ushering Alexis to the statue. "I didn't tell her to include you in stuff like this, but I'm glad she is," she murmured to Castle's daughter as they stood around the statue.

"I know," Alexis said quickly since she and Beckett were standing on one side and Castle and Julia on the other.

"Now we go see them for real," Julia said, patting the biggest of the three sea lions after Diana had taken the picture for them. She giggled when Castle picked her up, under his arm, and she kicked her legs lightly saying, "I wanna walk by myself."

"Not by yourself," he told her, setting her down. "But on your own two legs." They headed down the side of the pier; where people were going to and from, and he soon heard the loud bark of the sea lions. Reaching the docks where the animals were, he picked up Julia as the mesh under the railing was preventing her from really seeing them. He had her lean against him as her side was to his chest, partially letting her sit on the top railing, and he watched her have her first view of the sea lions that up until then she'd only seen pictures of.

"Oooh," was all that came out of Julia's mouth as she watched the animals basking in the sun. "There are lots," she finally said.

"I know, there weren't this many last time we were here," Diana said as she handed Beckett Julia's camera.

"Take some pictures sweetie," Beckett told her daughter, handing her the camera.

After snapping some photos, Julia then realized that two were fighting towards the back of the docks, barking and trying to push the other off of it. "Why do they do that? Mommy, make them stop," she said.

"I don't think she can," Castle said. "They're fighting over that dock."

"And these are all boys too," Alexis told the little girl as she was frowning.

"Oh then good luck with that," Castle said in exaggeration.

"You shouldn't worry sweetie," Beckett said, rubbing Julia's shoulder. "They're not hurting each other… just getting each other wet," she said with a smile as one sea lion had managed to push the other off and it then popped right back up onto it as a third came up.

"This bring back memories?" Castle asked as Julia went back to taking pictures.

"A lot, we would stand here for so long," Beckett said. She leaned over to Diana and asked, "She still does that?

"My aunt loves animals, these especially. My cousins are absolute animal fanatics. You should see them at the stables my aunt and uncle ride at," Diana commented with a smile. "They spend all their time making their grandfather run after them because they're trying to see horses. It's insanely cute."

"We've pretty much got the same thing," Alexis said with a smile, nodding to Julia who was leaning back against Castle with her arms wrapped around his neck. "Insanely, insanely cute."

Beckett smiled at that, and turned to her daughter, squeezing her shoulder before she watched the sea lions for a while. Finally she needed to stretch her legs, so she murmured to Castle, "I'll be at the end of the pier," before she walked down further, and she stood at the railing, the wind striking the side of her face as she looked across the bay at Alcatraz, almost transfixed by the island.

Stepping up to her, Castle touched Beckett's arm, not surprised when she jumped slightly before turning to him. "She's with them," he said quickly as he guessed what she might ask. "Are you okay?"

Not answering that, Beckett turned back to the island and then finally said, "I can't really agree with you that it's haunted Castle, but that name the native tribes gave it…"

"Evil Island?" Castle asked.

"It's apropos," Beckett said. She slid into his embrace, not surprised he'd guessed that she was thinking about what they'd gone through two days before. "I'm alright," she finally said. "Just got a sudden chill." She heard Castle draw in a breath to speak and she quickly said, "Not a spirit," in mock annoyance.

"Mommy? Castle?" Julia said suddenly behind the two.

Turning to the little girl quickly, Beckett saw that Alexis was standing at the top of some steps nearby, watching her, and she waved quickly so the young woman knew Julia was fine. "What is it sweetie?" she asked, letting go of Castle to pick up her daughter, hugging her tightly, needing that after the reminder of Alcatraz.

"The store is a candy store, and it's got lots of… taffy," Julia said, wondering why her mother was hugging her as she was. "Can I get some?"

"Why don't we take a look?" Beckett asked, carrying her over to the shop that Alexis had disappeared into.

"Are you kay Mommy?" Julia asked in concern, touching the scrape on Beckett's cheek that was nearly gone already. "Is it 'cause of this? And Castle's ouchie too on his face?"

"She's fine, it was just a little cold," Castle said before his fiancée could say anything. "She was worried you might be cold too."  
"Oh, no, I'm warm Mommy," Julia said, smiling at her.

"I know, let's see about this candy," Beckett said, setting her down at the doorway and letting her daughter pull her inside.

From the candy store; where Castle and Beckett had to try and convince Julia they couldn't get anything because they were going to have dessert later; they walked in a group onto the main part of the pier, where the other stores were. They split up, as Alexis and Diana had their stores they wanted to look at, and Castle and Beckett took Julia with them as they looked in a few places.

"Are we gonna get Grandpapa anything?" Julia asked when they were inside a chocolate shop she'd made them look through.

"We'll wait until we go to Ghirardelli," Beckett said. "You know he likes the chocolates from there."

"He does?" Castle asked, leading the way out.

"He does, when they came to see me for that competition, with the equestrian team, I took them to the square and they loved it," Beckett said. "And I know you can get the chocolates at home, but Julia's going to pick out what we get."

"Yeah, he said I need to pick the sou… s… Mommy?" Julia began.

"It's the name of Paul's song," Beckett said. "You know how to say it, just take your time."

"Souvenir," Julia finally said. "I pick it."

"That was a good idea," Castle said as they entered a small new age store. He followed Julia through it while Beckett was looking at the Buddha statues, and when they reached her he said, "Decide on that?"

"Yeah, and I think I'll leave it," Beckett said, setting down the statue she'd brought them back to the store to decide on. "I'm thinking, sweetie, did you really want that shirt in the Irish store?"

"Yes please," Julia said.

"Okay, then I'll buy it and we'll head to the store Alexis told us about this time. Sorry about the detours," Beckett commented to Castle.

"Not a problem, all I want is to get to go on the bridge before tonight," he said easily. "Speaking of which, what are we doing tonight?"

"Well, your daughter changed her mind remember," Beckett reminded him as they walked across to the store that was full of different Irish and Celtic themed items. "So where we're headed to is a mystery."

"I like that," Julia said as she and Castle waited outside for her mother. She then jumped up against him, holding her arms up to him before he picked her up, setting her on his shoulders. "'Cause it means it's a surprise."

"You have a point. But Julia, you know I'll have to put you down once we go inside the other store," Castle pointed out to her.

"I don't care," Julia said simply. "Thank you Mommy!" she squealed when she saw her mother come out with a bag.

"You're welcome, I thought it was the same as the other Ireland flag shirt you have but looking at it again I can see you and Castle were right; it isn't," Beckett said, walking next to Castle as they headed to the next store.

"It's different," Julia said. "What do we get here?" she asked as Castle set her down and her mother took her hand.

"Shirts, and we'll see if there's a little jacket for you," Beckett said, taking her towards the back of the store. "There's an Alcatraz section-" she began to say to Castle.

"I'll follow," he told her, walking after them. He then helped Beckett, as Julia wanted a number of shirts and they had to convince her to pick three. He followed them through the store back to the front, idly looking at the different items to buy before he saw some children's shirts. Taking Beckett's hand, he led her to the table, and they both helped the little girl choose two more shirts and managed to find her a jacket with a hood that said San Francisco on it.

"Hey, looks like you guys did pretty well," Alexis said, walking up to them as Castle was paying for Julia's things.

"Did you come in here already?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah, we already went through the whole Pier, we know where to go," Alexis said, looking down at Julia. "What is it?" she asked the little girl.

"Mommy says I can go on the carousel with you, can we go on it?" Julia asked in a rush.

"Of course, but only if we go up to the top of it," Alexis teased her, laughing slightly when Julia nodded hurriedly.

Going from the store to the carousel, Beckett watched Julia walking in between the two young women and she said to Castle, "She said thank you for her things you bought."

"I know, and it was a pleasure to get them, don't worry," Castle said simply. "In case you are. You don't want to head up with her?"

"No, I think she should spend as much time with Alexis too before we go back home," Beckett commented. That was all she could say though, as she had to follow the three onto the carousel. She took a few pictures of Julia on her horse on the second level, and then went back down to where Castle was standing with all their bags, watching as the ride began. "They have an amazing view," she commented as they looked on, waving to Julia as she would do so whenever she saw them.

"Do you want to go to the second story of the Pier? Because there are more shops," Castle commented.

"That depends on them," Beckett said, nodding to the carousel. "There are more shops at Ghirardelli though."

"I'm aware of it," Castle said. "But I'm having fun, believe me." He then turned to look behind them at Alcatraz and took her hand saying, "To be here to do all this shopping… I'm good."

Beckett nodded, looking down at their joined hands before she looked back at the ride which had stopped, Julia coming down the stairs with Diana as Alexis followed. She understood his sentiment, and laughed as her daughter threw herself at her legs, chattering excitedly about the ride and the view as they walked together to the end of the pier with the others.

* * *

"So that's Ghirardelli," Castle commented as he saw the huge sign above the brick buildings.

"They make it across the bay, but it's still technically a San Francisco chocolate," Diana commented while they were going up some steps. "And this is the square."

"We came here too," Beckett said as Diana and Alexis looked at her. "I don't remember that walk taking so long though… but I guess since I didn't have a five year old with me at the time that would make sense."

"Has it changed at all?" Castle asked as they followed Julia to the fountain where she was taking pictures of it.

"No, actually besides the names of the stores, it's basically the same," Beckett said, looking around. "So what's your idea going through here?" she asked Alexis.

"Dessert first, and then shopping," the young woman said easily, looking over at Julia who immediately perked up at that. "Where are you parked?" she asked Diana suddenly as they walked over to the ice cream shop.

"Here, I figured it would be easier to just go from here and are you sure you'll be okay getting from the bridge to your hotel?" Diana asked.

"Yeah, I have the number for the taxi company you told me about on my phone," Alexis said. They reached the shop and she gave the number of their party to the hostess before they were led inside to a table. "I would recommend," she said after they were looking at the menus they'd been given. "The hot fudge sundae."

"What about me?" Julia asked, looking at her mother.

"We're going to share something with Castle," Beckett said, setting down her menu.

"And I'm deciding?" he asked. When she nodded slightly in reply he sucked in a breath; earning him a soft giggle from Julia; and then said, "So much pressure, well, the dark mint chocolate chip sundae sounds pretty good."

"Then we'll get that," Beckett said, smiling slightly as she knew he remembered that was Julia's favorite flavor. "Why don't you show her around?"

Castle was about to say he didn't know the place that well, but nodded, standing up saying, "You're okay ordering?"

"Yeah, I think I can handle it," Beckett said with a slight smile before she watched them walk to some of the old machinery that had been used to make chocolates there.

Walking into the chocolate shop part, Julia gasped at the wall which was full of the chocolates in bar form and said, "I have to pick something for Grandpapa."

"We can look now and then after we eat you can show your mom, see if she likes it," Castle said. He followed the little girl around, and smiled when she stopped in front of a mug with the Golden Gate Bridge and the Ghirardelli Square sign on it, chocolates inside it. "This?" he asked.

"Yeah, he drinks coffee too, and uses cups like this," Julia said. "Let's go tell my Mommy!" she said eagerly, taking his hand and pulling it.

"How was it?" Alexis asked, digging into her sundae.

"How come you didn't tell us the ice cream was here? That's not fair," Castle said as he sat and Julia climbed up onto his lap, pretending to pout to her giggle.

"I didn't start," Beckett said, sliding her chair closer to his. "Is she okay there?" she asked as they picked up the three spoons next to the sundae.

"She's fine," Castle said simply as he took off the cherry and handed it to Julia who shook her head. "That's yours I believe," he said, handing it to Beckett.

Smiling, Beckett watched as Julia took the first spoonful and Castle took some ice cream after her. She laughed slightly as Julia stopped him from taking another and they pretended to fight with their spoon handles since the utensils were so long. "Easy you two," she said as she took advantage of their distraction to get some of the sundae herself. "I've been repeating this same phrase through the trip," she said after finishing her spoonful. "But-"

"It brings back memories?" Diana asked.

"The chocolate always does," Beckett said with a nod.

"And that is really good chocolate," Castle said. "Speaking of which, didn't you have something to tell her?" he asked the little girl who was finishing another spoon of ice cream and fudge.

"Oh, Mommy, I found what to get Grandpapa, can I show you?" Julia asked eagerly.

"Of course, after we're done, do you like it?" Beckett asked.

"Lots," Julia said, grabbing Castle's spoon before he could bring it up to his mouth. She giggled as she ate the ice cream and then got another one for him; using his spoon.

"You're very sneaky," Castle said, tickling her. "But thank you for getting some for me."

"I don't know if that makes you a bad influence on her or not," Beckett commented.

"I'd like to look at it as a positive aspect," Castle said simply.

Looking back and forth between them, Julia looked over at Alexis in slight confusion before the young woman said, "I think you're leaving the ice cream all for Julia."

Looking at the little girl; who had gotten another spoonful, Castle smiled slightly at her guilty expression, and he kissed the top of her head to reassure her before he leaned over to Beckett, whispering in her ear.

After he'd finished talking, Beckett simply said, "She's fine where she is." She squeezed Castle's hand briefly, and they rejoined her daughter in working through their sundae.

* * *

"Mommy, Castle, what's this?" Julia was asking as she watched them walking up to her and Alexis on the pedestrian path for the Golden Gate Bridge.

"It's… a cable for the bridge," Castle said a little absently, reading the plaque that went with the piece of cable. "Well, it's what it looks like."

"It's really big," Julia commented.

"It has to be," Alexis said. "Come on, are you ready?"

"Yes, I wanna see it now better," Julia said, scrambling to grab her hand. She and Alexis set off ahead of her mother and Castle, since Alexis had been there already.

"All the times I've ever seen this bridge," Castle was saying to Beckett as she held onto his upper arm. "And now I'm actually walking on it, it's amazing." He then slowed Beckett down enough for their daughters to walk ahead a little more and said, "It's a little sobering though-"

"When you consider the suicides, I know," Beckett said with a sigh. "But still, it is a beautiful bridge."

Nodding, Castle tried to get the negative thought out of his mind, and he hurried with her to catch up with Alexis and Julia who were waiting for them. "How far are we walking? I can't believe I didn't ask," he said when they were walking again.

"I figured as close to the middle as we can," Alexis said, glancing at Beckett.

"I think that will work if she's not too cold," she said quickly. "Sweetie, are you?"

"No Mommy, my cheeks are, but I have my coat, I am warm," Julia said happily as she held her stuffed giraffe tighter in her free arm.

"What're you going to call that?" Alexis asked as they came to the first tower of the red-orange bridge.

"Dunno," Julia said, looking down at it. "But I will have a name for you," she said, addressing the stuffed animal her mother had bought her at Ghirardelli Square before kissing it.

"We stopped here," Alexis said, halting and turning to her dad and Beckett. "For some pictures, since you know, the city."

"That is nice," Castle said, not surprised when Julia gave her giraffe to Alexis and went to him. He picked her up and said, "Shoulders?"

"Not that high," Beckett quickly said as Julia looked afraid.

"Okay, I'm glad because it's pretty windy, you'd get too cold and then your mom would make us turn back," Castle said as he held Julia on his hip. He watched her take some pictures of the city and then said, "Have you been having fun here?"

"Yeah, lots and lots and lots," Julia said in a kind of reassuring tone. "Did you?"

"I did, but we're not done yet," Castle said before she motioned to the tower. He walked over to it and watched as she took a picture looking straight up. "That should be a good one," he commented. "You know we have tomorrow…" glancing at his daughter.

"All you get is the Academy of Sciences," Alexis said in a low voice. "I like surprising him."

"And me too?" Julia asked, holding her arms out to her.

"And of course you," Alexis said, kissing her cheek as she took her. "Excuse me," she said to another tourist who was walking by. "Could you take our picture?"

Beckett let Castle lead her to the railing, and they stood with Alexis and Julia as the woman took their picture using Julia's camera. She took it back and looked at the screen, showing it to Castle who was looking over her shoulder.

"Not bad," he said, nodding his head. "Alexis?"

"Stay with me," the young woman said as she set Julia down. She took the camera, and waited for her dad to stand back against the railing with Beckett before she took another picture. "How many different combinations can we have?" she asked jokingly as Beckett switched places with her.

"It happens," Beckett said simply. "And really, we have never done this before, so why not document it?" She laughed then as Alexis switched places back with her and said, "The wind isn't even bothering me now."

"It is us, you guys are getting all the exercise," Castle said. "My turn," he said teasingly as he handed Julia to her mother, and ushered Alexis to them, taking a picture of them. "Okay, we can go… you too?" he said with a laugh as Julia ran to him and pushed him back to Alexis and Beckett. Once she'd taken the picture of them he scooped her up, making her legs fly out in the air to her squeal. "You're getting a lot of good pictures this vacation."

"Yeah, Mommy, I have to make a big book," Julia said, looking over Castle's shoulder.

"That fine," Beckett said simply. She then looked at Alexis and saw the young woman was looking out at Alcatraz. "Okay?" she asked in a low voice since they were close to Julia.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, I was just thinking about what happened out there to you guys," Alexis said, glancing up at the little girl who Castle was talking with so she couldn't hear them. "And how we didn't even know what was going on with you while we were at the museum. I'm just really relieved that you're both okay."

"Believe me, we are too," Beckett said, following her gaze to Julia and Castle who had stopped at the railing, looking out at the city together.

* * *

"I have names now," Julia said as she looked up at her mother who was walking by her.

"And what are they?" Castle asked, standing in the doorway to the room Julia and Alexis were sharing, watching Beckett look at the purchases from their time at Fisherman's Wharf for her daughter.

"I'm calling him James," Julia said, indicating her stuffed koala he'd bought for her at the zoo. "And I'm calling him Soky."

"Soky? Where did you get that name from?" Alexis asked, coming from the bathroom where she'd changed into a sweater.

"From _vysokiy_ , it's how you say tall in Russian; Mommy said," Julia said, setting her animals on her pillow.

"Those are cute names," Beckett said, picking her daughter up from the bed. She kissed her cheek and said, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, are we going to the BART?" Julia said eagerly, kissing her mother's cheek in return.

"Right now," Alexis said, putting on her coat. She smiled when Julia leaned over to her and she took her, leading the way out of the suite. Down on Powell she took them down to the stop by the mall entrance she'd shown them before, and as they were on the train heading for the stop closest to the Ferry Building she said, "I hope my choice is alright," talking to all three of them.

"We left this up to you," Castle said. "And when we went there the other day the restaurants we saw really piqued my interest. You're choosing where we have dinner."

"But I would like to go to that bookstore first," Beckett commented as the train stopped then. They hurried to get off and she then said, "I want to see if they have more San Francisco themed books for Julia."

"I get more books?" Julia asked eagerly, hearing that as they went up the stairs. "What's that Alexis?" she asked before anyone could answer her first question, pointing to a train on the upper level of the station.

"That's the Muni Metro, it's another kind of subway though it goes outside too," the young woman answered. "I don't really go on that too much, mostly the BART."

"And your mom and I will buy you some more books," Castle said, going back to her first question. "Can never have enough of those of course."

"Of course," Beckett said as she let him take her hand since their daughters were walking together in front of them. She looked up at the clock tower on the Ferry Building as it began to ring the half hour; five thirty; and said, "I feel kind of bad."

"About what?" Castle asked while they waited to cross The Embarcadero; the street directly in front of the building.

"Not inviting Diana to join us," Beckett said. "Actually, what I would have loved to have done more was have dinner with her family and May's; something we set up as a thank you for everything they've done for us."

"Maybe we can set something up for lunch Saturday," Alexis commented as they crossed. "I'll call Diana and see what they're going to be up to."

"Do that," Castle said. "It would be interesting to sit down and talk with everyone, but we couldn't figure something out for dinner?"

"Unless we invited them to lunch at Boudin," Beckett said idly as she remembered his mother was going to be with them that day. "Call and see what they say," she directed to Alexis.

"Sure, but in the meantime, the bookstore is this way if you remember," she commented, leading the way.

Inside the bookstore, Julia was allowed to run to the kids' books, and she picked up three before showing them to her mother and Castle. While they were paying for them, she went over to the windows looking out at the pier and watched a ferry boat leaving. "Where does that go?" she asked Castle as he'd walked up behind her.

"Alexis?" he said, turning to his daughter.

"That's the Sausalito ferry," Alexis replied, looking at her watch. "Yeah, I took one at this time, it's a pretty nice ride, except when it's windy and the water's choppy."

"Like today?" Beckett commented, joining them.

"Pretty much, I don't envy them at all," Alexis commented. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, I wanna go take pictures," Julia said, holding up her camera.

"More? You took some last time we were here," Beckett said as Julia took her hand.

"But different ones this time Mommy," Julia said before she made her mother stop. Raising her arms up to her, she wrapped them around Beckett's neck as she shared a kiss with her. "I love you Mommy," she said seriously.

"I love you too sweetie," Beckett said, a little concerned as she headed out to the southern shops. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was happy I got to be here and take pictures," Julia said. "I'm not sad."

"I'm glad to hear that," Beckett said with a smile, setting her daughter down so she could take pictures. She glanced back and saw that Castle and Alexis had stopped at a store selling cooking utensils. She caught her fiancé's eye and when he nodded she gave him a quick nod back, following Julia into a bakery.

"Mommy, look at the little desserts!" the little girl was saying. "Can, can I take pictures please?" she asked the worker behind the display case.

"Go ahead," the man said. "Would you like any samples?"

"No thank you, we haven't had dinner yet," Beckett said, talking more to Julia at the end as she looked eager. "But they are beautiful pastries. Did you get enough pictures?" she asked once she was sure her daughter had enough shots of what the bakery sold.

"Yeah, can't we get and eat later?" Julia asked.

"We had dessert already," Castle said, walking up with Alexis then. "But we can have some hot chocolate later after swimming," he said quickly as Julia pouted.

"What did you get?" Beckett asked.

"A set of bamboo cooking utensils," Castle showed her, taking the set out of the bag he had. "I needed to replace mine and they look pretty sturdy."

"Bamboo like pandas eat?" Julia asked.

"Let's eat dinner since we're here," Alexis said, indicating the restaurant they'd come up to.

"Yeah, the same bamboo, you can make stuff out of it," Castle then said to Julia after he and Beckett agreed they should eat. "As you can see," he said as he let her look at the spoon of the set.

While Castle and Alexis were waiting for their orders, Beckett sat at a table with Julia on her lap, the little girl still looking at the bamboo utensils that he'd let her keep holding. "Are you tired?" she asked when her daughter leaned back against her.

"No Mommy, I want to swim," Julia said with a sigh. "Why don't we know what to do tomorrow?"

"You'll enjoy the Academy of Sciences," Beckett assured her daughter. "And really, Alexis is having fun surprising you."

"Oh, thank you," Julia said, looking up as Castle and Alexis came over with their food.

"You're welcome, also like I said before I'm having a fun time surprising him," Alexis said, indicating Castle. She then winked at Julia and smiled at the little girl's peal of laughter since it was an inside joke from the night before. At some point they'd talked about how surprised Castle had been when they'd seen May's work, and also how he would act in general when he was surprised. She had imitated her father a little bit, and then made Julia promise not to tell him she'd done that, winking at her after the little girl had promised.

"What's the joke?" Castle asked. He was surprised when Julia and Alexis started to laugh and he looked at Beckett, who merely shrugged. "Well, dinner is here, so if you two are busy laughing…" he said, reaching out towards Alexis' sandwich.

Julia giggled when Alexis quickly slapped his hand away and said, "You have to eat yours."

"Oh, not yours?" Castle asked, smiling when she shook her head no. "Or your mom's? Shoot," he said, snapping his fingers to her giggle.

"Just eat Castle," Beckett said, setting Julia onto the fourth chair. "So what did Martha have to say?" she asked then.

"Is she having fun?" Julia asked quickly.

"A lot," Alexis said. "She and her friend went to the spa, got manis and pedis while Dan went for a tour at another winery. And they love the wine; she's already sent back two cases of red and white wines. But she says she misses going around with us."

"I hope you told her we do too," Beckett commented.

"Of course," Castle said. "But she's happy to hear we're still having fun. And that she's looking forward to checking out Pier 39 now I've told her about it."

"I can't wait to go again, and see the sea lions," Julia said excitedly after she ate a bite of her sandwich quickly. "I wanna bark like they do. Can I learn how to swim like they do? I wanna hop up out of the water."

"I don't think you can," Beckett said with a smile as the little girl tried to imitate the sea lion bark. "But you sound a lot like them."

"Tell you what," Castle said. "When we go swimming back at the hotel, I'll help you jump through the water like they do… or dolphins. Was it dolphins?"

"Sea lions can," Alexis said.

"Then like that," Castle said, looking back at the little girl.

"Ooh, thank you," Julia said, giggling as Castle tugged one of her braids playfully and she squeezed his hand tightly. "I can't wait to swim now," she said eagerly, smiling as the other three agreed with her. She went back to her food, wriggling on her chair before Beckett stopped her as she smiled up at her mother before they shared a quick kiss, going back to their meal.

* * *

"Alright, jump, but please make sure I'm ready this time," Castle said as he stood in front of Julia who was standing on the edge of the pool. She didn't say anything, just jumped in, and he was quick to pick her up after her head went under the water, kissing her cheek as he settled her on his hip. "I'm surprised you're not tired," he said as he went over to where her mother was sitting on the top step watching them.

"I'm excited," Julia said simply, smiling widely. She stood next to her mother and said, "Where's Alexis?"

"In the Jacuzzi," Beckett said simply. "Which is where we're headed to next."

"Are we done?" Julia asked in disappointment.

"It's almost eight," Beckett said, laughter in her tone. "And I know you said you're excited, but it's starting to get late." She left the pool, carrying Julia to the Jacuzzi where she let her daughter step in on her own.

"What's the place like we're gonna go to tomorrow?" Julia asked as she stood on the bench as her mother and Castle got in.

"It's a lot of fun," Alexis said. "And there's a lot of stuff to see, and I'm pretty excited too actually, just thinking about what I'll show you guys there. Especially you," she said, tickling the little girl to her giggle.

"What do they have?" Castle asked.

"Oh no, you're not getting anything from me," Alexis said. "Not until we go."

"You'll see it soon enough you two," Beckett said, watching Julia walk over to her. "Along with everything else. Will we be able to fit it in before tomorrow night's events? Including ours which we still know nothing about."

"You'll see," Castle said, laughing when she splashed him at that. They were quiet as they watched Julia and said, "Any time to watch anything?"

"Not tonight," Beckett said. "Sorry sweetie, but by the time we get back to the room and I give you a bath it's going to be too late. But tomorrow we are staying up late I think."

"We are, so she's right, you should go to bed earlier tonight and then tomorrow you'll get to stay up late and you won't be tired," Castle said.

"Can we go now?" Julia asked.

"Do you mind?" Beckett asked Alexis.

"That's fine," the young woman said with a smile as Julia was already climbing out of the Jacuzzi.

Following the little girl, they all dried off and walked back to the other building of the hotel. In the suite, Beckett took Julia to give her a bath as she'd said, before she let her go out to where Castle and Alexis were watching TV.

"All set?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, Mommy says I have to go to bed and to say goodnight," Julia said.

"Goodnight Julia, I hope you had fun today," Alexis said as the little girl hugged her around the neck. She kissed her cheek after Julia kissed hers and said, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Alexis," Julia said before Castle stood up and took her hand as she led him to the bedroom.

"So we'll see you tomorrow morning," Beckett said as Castle lifted Julia to place her on the bed.

"Kay, and then we go?" Julia asked.

"Pretty much, we're apparently going to have breakfast out tomorrow, so we'll pick you two up and Alexis will take us wherever," Castle said, waiting for Beckett to finish tucking her in. When she had he leaned over and hugged Julia as he kissed her cheek before she returned it. "Sweet dreams until then Julia, I love you," he said.

Nodding, Julia let go of him and hugged her mother as she sat next to her. "Night Mommy," she said before they shared a kiss.

"I love you sweetie, goodnight," Beckett said gently.

"Love you Mommy," Julia said before her mother made her lay back. She did so with a sigh and held onto her Stitch doll before closing her eyes as Beckett and Castle watched her.

"I guess she was tired," Alexis said, turning to the two as they came out; Castle sliding the door closed behind him.

"She was, we did a lot of walking," Beckett said. "So you want us to be here at nine?"

"Is that too early? It's just that these places I want to go to… open early. Well, the Academy of Sciences does, it opens at nine thirty tomorrow," Alexis explained.

"That's fine, we need to get everything we can out of this vacation," Castle said. "But I'm having a cup of coffee with her before we come over," he said, pointing to Beckett.

"That's fine," Alexis said, shaking her head. "You don't want to watch a movie or something?"

"You can," Beckett said to Castle. "I think I'll head to our room. I'll see you tomorrow Alexis."

"Night," the young woman called. She watched her dad then and smiled slightly when he watched the door, though Beckett had left through it by then. "You don't have to stay," she said to get his attention.

"Are you sure?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, and we couldn't watch any scary movies anyways, not with Julia right there," Alexis said.

"Okay, but once you come back home, you and me are parking in front of the TV and watching a _Saw_ marathon," Castle said.

"Deal, night Dad," Alexis said, smiling slightly at his serious tone.

"Night," Castle said before he left. "Beckett," he called once he was out in the hall, seeing she was opening the door to their suite, walking down quickly to her.

* * *

Hearing the door to the bathroom open, Beckett looked up as Castle walked out, running his hand through his wet hair. "Better?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah, that woke me right up," he said as he looked at her. "And you?"

"I'm obviously still awake," Beckett said, setting aside a magazine on the city the hotel provided. "Want to watch something?"

"Sure," Castle said, slipping under the covers with her. "I'll let you decide, just beg you not to choose a chick flick."

"Who said I was going to watch a movie?" Beckett said simply.

"Okay, then what show since it sounds like you're picking that," Castle said. "Or do I have to guess?"

"I've narrowed it down to two things," Beckett said. " _How I Met Your Mother_ ," she said, seeing him hesitate to speak as soon as she said that. "Or _Ghost Adventures_ ," she continued, speaking slowly.

"You… really?" Castle asked in surprise. When she nodded he put his hand on her forehead and said, "You're delirious, it was way too cold walking back from the station."

"Stop," Beckett said, rolling her eyes as she slapped away his arm. "I just felt like choosing something you enjoy."

"Okay," Castle said. "Are you sure though?" She nodded, and he said, "Awesome, I know the episode I want us to watch. It's from the first season, but we haven't gotten to it yet…" He trailed off as he was searching the Netflix option on the room's TV. "Why have you been watching this with me? At this point we've gone through a good chunk of the episodes and you don't really ridicule it like I thought you would."

"Because I'm enjoying watching you watching it. You start out trying to make sure I watch every last piece of 'evidence' they get, and eventually you forget about me and you're so involved in the show I might get jealous if I was that type of woman," Beckett simply explained.

"I'm glad you're not," Castle said, realizing she was right. "We don't have to watch it if you're not enjoying the show itself."

"I am, Zak isn't half bad looking, or Nick for that matter," Beckett said, obviously teasing him.

"Well, you and Alexis have a lot in common if you put it like that," Castle said. "Okay, so despite that, I'll make you a GA fan yet."

"Not for the reason you're thinking of. So come on, what's the episode you want me to see?" Beckett asked. She looked on as he didn't reply to her and saw the episode he selected. "Really?"

"Are they family?" Castle asked. "It's in Massachusetts."

"Not as far as I know, my mom's father's family came over to New York, whenever it was, it's too far back to track," Beckett said. "But interesting coincidence with the name."

"So you're partially…" Castle began as they waited for the episode; taking place at Houghton Mansion; to load.

"Mostly Irish," Beckett said. "We never talked about this have we?"

"It's not something that comes up in conversation," Castle said.

"True. But I'm Irish, British and a little bit Belgian, my mom's father's mother. My great-grandmother. But mostly Irish, since my dad is half and my mother was half too, her great-great grandmother came over from Cobh apparently," Beckett replied.

"Interesting combination, does Ryan know?" Castle asked.

"He does, but, I never grew up knowing the culture as he did," Beckett said with a shrug.

"That might explain why Ireland has such an allure to you," Castle said.

"And Spain?" Beckett asked.

"You never know, you could be Spanish somewhere in your family's past," Castle replied. "Spaniards ended up in Ireland after the Armada in 1588."

Beckett only smiled at that as the episode began and she leaned against him while he turned off the lights; wrapping his arm around her. "Always in the dark," she commented as the opening credits played after the intro.

"That's the best way to watch this," Castle insisted. He watched her, forcing himself to do so the whole episode, until it finished and he stopped it. "Well?" he asked.

"The tunnel wasn't really that believable," Beckett said, smiling as she sat up. They usually talked about the evidence after watching an episode, more because Castle was trying to make her admit it was legitimately supernatural. "Do you know how many animals could be in there?"

"Fine, I'll agree… kind of," Castle said. "But what about the house itself."

"Not talking about the lockdown, the accident was horrible to hear about, I can't blame Mr. Houghton for being devastated," Beckett said. "And Mr. Widders as well, but…"

"Still no? Everything we've seen, the hand at that New Jersey hospital, the brick in the movie and you still can't admit there's something? What about-" Castle began before he closed his mouth hard.

"Alcatraz," Beckett finished for him. She looked up at the ceiling and said, "I still can't say that was a spirit that grabbed my hair. But remember, I do agree with the Evil Island moniker, because there's something there that's… it isn't a place conducive to being happy. I'm just glad Julia didn't pick up on it, though I'm sure she probably hates it now." She looked at him and said, "I am sorry though."

"No, there's something… admirable about your stubbornness," Castle said. "I'd be dead or in jail right now if you weren't."

"You make a good point," Beckett said. "Okay, let's set aside ghosts for the night and focus on something e-e-lse. Castle! That's not what I meant," she said, stuttering in her shock and reaction to his hand sliding up her side under her shirt. "How did you have that fast of a turn around? We were just talking about Alcatraz."

"I remembered that from the waist up-" Castle started to say as he moved his hand over to her breasts.

"And you're a guy, I forgot," Beckett sighed, stopping his hand. She took it out from under her shirt and said, "Not that I don't mind that, but the lights."

"Oh, of course," Castle said, turning to get the switch for both lamps. "Though I just realized that could go either way."

"True, but I want to ask, do you remember how you owe me?" Beckett asked.

"I do, for this morning… oh, you're calling it in now? Great," Castle said, leaning into her.

Beckett let him kiss her, but didn't let it continue for long before she pulled away. "You didn't ask what I want," she told him as he looked frustrated.

"Okay, what do you want?" Castle asked simply. He was a little startled when she pulled back enough to take off her shirt, and he looked on as she finished undressing, getting the feeling she didn't want him to join in. "You-" he started to say when he was cut off by her pulling his shirt.

Not too surprised Castle quickly recovered, Beckett smiled slightly as he tried to kiss her as they worked to undress him. But she kept pulling away from him until he was naked as well and she finally allowed him to press his lips hard to hers. She stopped him when they pulled away; since he was beginning to drift to her neck; and said simply, "I want you to watch," feeling a little shiver of anxiety going through her as they'd never done that before.

"You… okay," Castle said, looking at her. "Is there… any way you'd like to do this?"

"Just watch, don't touch anything," Beckett said, a little taken aback when he laid her down. "Me or yourself."

"So that would be the owing part," Castle commented. When Beckett merely gave him a slight smile, he leaned over and kissed her, feeling her immediate response. "I don't know if I can do that, but I promise to try," he said when they had parted.

Beckett didn't reply, since it wasn't a shock he'd said that, and reached up to cup his cheek with one hand while the other slid down over her stomach. She faltered in her breath slightly as she found where she was seeking between her legs, not surprised it had been as easy as it was since undressing had been enough to begin to excite her. She watched Castle as his gaze went from her face down to her hand, and she let him go to concentrate on herself. She had to wonder why she wanted to do that, but the question was quickly lost as she could feel the intensity of his gaze though his eyes weren't on her face.

Swallowing hard, Castle moved down the bed slightly, hoping she was okay with that. But when he glanced up at her, he saw that she wasn't even looking at him, instead her eyes were closed tightly and his mouth watered as her neck arched up with her body. He was tempted to kiss her, and to touch her, but he tried to remind himself what she had asked of him, so he grabbed the bed sheet under them tightly, to keep his hands where they were. But his own arousal was getting stronger, and he had to wonder if she'd had in mind to torture him when she'd told him what she wanted.

A little lost in her rising pleasure, Beckett opened her eyes a while later to see Castle had moved from further down the bed. "You-" she started to say, panting a little as by then she was too close and her body was showing her exertions.

"I know, you said not to touch you, but I have to Kate," Castle said, almost begging in his tone as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, laying next to her.

"Just… don't…" was all that Beckett could get out before her body tensed for a split second and the next she was moaning as she felt him holding her tightly against him.

Breathing hard and not sure how he was keeping his self-control, Castle watched her, her body moving, undulating as her face was masked in pleasure and he couldn't stop himself. He kissed her deeply, but it was a brief kiss, as she broke away from him, moaning hard before she went limp in his embrace. He kissed her temple, then lips, just brushing his lips against her, and said, "You enjoyed that."

"That's… I'm pretty sure that's obvious," Beckett said, glancing at him as she was getting her breath back. "I'm sorry if that was a little much for you to watch."

"Well, I think now I can say with certainty that you owe me," Castle said. "Not even able to touch you…" he said as he cupped her breast with his hand.

"You… now?" Beckett asked, a little surprised. But even as she said that, she was reacting to his touch and she bit her lower lip as he stroked her before going down her body.

"Too much?" Castle asked as he stroked between her legs, being very careful.

"You bastard, you knew I was getting excited again," Beckett said, though she smiled slightly before letting out a moan at his touch.

"I'm that good," Castle said. He was surprised when he didn't get a reaction to that, and he moved, deciding she was ready. He made her get up, straddling him, before he grabbed her waist and was going to help her when she moved, and he was suddenly inside of her. It was a shock, but he was able to hold off his climax just in time. "You're pretty good yourself, I think I need to say," he groaned as she moved slightly.

"I know," was all that Beckett said as she began to raise herself. She soon set a rhythm, feeling Castle's hands on the small of her back, holding her tightly while he met her pace easily, since she was going slower than they'd been that morning and the night before. His hands were suddenly sliding up, and it was little surprise when one went for her breasts, the other in between her legs again. She sighed in pleasure as he fondled both, and she let him, as she knew she was going to need more time to get to the end than he would.

Feeling his fingertips growing damp, Castle suddenly sat up, and kissed Beckett deeply, groaning when she wrapped her arms around him tightly. He could feel her against his chest, and he shuddered, a little confused. He knew he should have finished long before that moment, but then wondered if he wasn't just trying to wait for her. He reached up with one hand, stroking her hair, letting his fingers tangle in her locks before he pulled away from her. "I love you," he said suddenly, watching her.

"I love you too," Beckett replied simply, leaning down slightly so she could kiss him. That kiss was a little tenderer, and she was slipping her tongue into his mouth to brush against his before pulling back. She cupped his face in her hands, stroking his lower lip before she led him down to her breasts, wrapping her arms back around him as he immediately began to suckle at her right nipple. She could feel her pleasure rising, and faster than she had expected, making her pull him tighter against her in her excitement while trying not to thrust too hard as she was enjoying the rhythm they had with each other.

Moving to in between her breasts after he had been going over them for a while, Castle brushed his lips over her scar, feeling her shudder instantly in response. He straightened up as she bent down to kiss him, and their lips met, making him hold her tighter to him as she slid her fingers through his hair. He groaned slightly when she scraped her nails against his scalp, and that broke off their kiss before he was sliding his lips over her collarbone.

Breathing harshly by then, Beckett waited for Castle to raise his head before she turned her legs enough to drape them over his thighs, her feet in between his legs. She hissed as he groaned, holding her securer against him with her next thrust as she had abruptly become tighter. She could feel him starting to move faster, so she stopped moving, a little surprised to find it wasn't that she wanted to; like Castle did; but she needed to. But it didn't make it any less of an annoyance, and she could see that on his face as he stopped as well. "Sorry," she whispered.

"No, I… you're not there yet," Castle breathed out, slumped against her chest.

"Well," Beckett said, thinking for a moment. "Maybe this will help." And with that she moved her legs back to how they'd been, and took his hand, kissing his fingertips. She was going to move him herself, but he slipped his hand from her grasp, and she stiffened with a pleasured gasp as he rolled the tips of his fingers around her swollen nub, the sensation shooting through her like a rush of electricity that spread through her entire body.

Kissing Beckett at her reaction, Castle slid his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss as he continued; his other hand on the small of her back again. He groaned heavily when she moved in response to him, and he wasn't able to remain unaffected with that. He finally moved his fingers from in between them, and grabbed her with both hands as they began to thrust towards one another at nearly the same time. They then pulled apart, and he leaned up enough to kiss at her neck, brushing his lips down to her shoulders.

Feeling Castle gripping her a little desperately, Beckett didn't hesitate, just began to move slightly faster, enough for him to feel the difference. She was holding onto him as well, and she slid her hand from his back to the back of his head, tilting it up to kiss him. She was feeling her body losing the battle to try and take things longer, just enough for her to feel the fires they spread through her at his touch and him inside of her. But before she could try and slow down, to keep herself from catapulting over the edge, his hands were tightening on her frantically and she let go of that momentary desire to stop; watching him closely through her daze of ecstasy.

Though he had tried to stop himself, Castle knew he was too far gone to do anything that would have any kind of effect. He held Beckett to him as he pressed his cheek to hers, and groaned out her name as his climax didn't seem to stop. He knew she wasn't with him yet, but was dimly aware when he began to slow down that she was digging her nails into his back, and her body had lost its steady rhythm. He stopped before she did, and he held her tightly still as he felt her riding through the last waves of her pleasure, shuddering slightly at her moans.

Breathing roughly, Beckett had no problem letting Castle move them around so she was lying back on the bed again. Once he was next to her, she lay on top of his arm he held out, and reached up to entwine her fingers with his. "I'm surprised we were able to do anything," she commented idly as they stared at their fingers. "With this morning."

"Seems like a long time ago," Castle said. "But I know what you mean. However… you're very tempting, especially when you take off your top."

"So not before that?" Beckett asked teasingly.

"Not what I said," Castle said quickly. "You know what I mean though. How am I supposed to resist a half naked woman asking me to watch her pleasure herself? And commanding me not to touch a thing? And that it's you saying all of that?"

"You were able to for a while," Beckett said with a smile as she looked up at him.

"It wasn't easy, it's why I eventually broke," Castle said. "But I enjoyed that, a lot."

"I thought you would," Beckett replied idly. She reached up then and caressed his face saying, "It was kind of a reassurance."

"Yeah, for me too," Castle said, knowing she was talking about the reason they had made love. They were quiet for a moment, and after a while he finally looked at her, and seeing she wasn't asleep said, "But we do have more to go."

"I know," Beckett said. "It'll be sad to head back."

"I really was serious about coming back here," Castle commented. "But I've enjoyed seeing you becoming nostalgic."

"That's happened a lot," Beckett said with a smile. "May took me to a lot of places when she could. I never mentioned; I actually forgot until now; but we had a little East Coast, West Coast argument. It wasn't a serious one, but she was trying to get me to admit that it was just as good here as in NYC."

"Did you ever settle it?" Castle asked.

"Couldn't, she had never been to the city, so it was a little lopsided," Beckett said. She laughed softly and said, "Which she took to mean that she had won the argument. She's absolutely crazy sometimes." She turned over onto her side and reached up to Castle's cheek, caressing it. "But the times I'm not remembering I'm enjoying too."

"Times like right now?" Castle asked, hearing the tone of her voice significantly changing and his heart began to beat a little quicker in response.

"Right now," was all that Beckett said, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him deeply as he was quick to respond.

Sliding his hand along her side, Castle pressed it to the small of Beckett's back, and when they were coupled together again, he laid her on her back on the bed. He kissed her more passionately as they proceeded to make love, neither of them realizing the sounds from that were mixing with the light rain that had started to fall outside. Drops slid down the windows as they became easily lost in each other for a second time that cold night, the heat from one another enough to chase away the chill.


	12. Rumba In The Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Tango All Night by Ringo Starr, from his album Ringo the 4th.

"Here's location number one," Alexis said, turning to the others who were following her. "The Japanese Tea Garden."

"Finally, I thought we had parked the car in the wrong place," Castle joked as they walked up to the wooden gate at the entrance. "Good choice though, look at the cherry blossoms," he commented as he saw the heavy pink blooms hanging out over the fence.

"They're pretty, and they look like pink snow," Julia said eagerly; on his shoulders as she held out her hand to the petals falling in the breeze.

"Isn't it a little early…" Beckett began. She trailed off and said, "I forgot, you said it warmed up for a little."

"I'm glad it did, let you see some of the flowers," Alexis commented as they waited for her dad to take Julia off his shoulders so they could go inside. "And this will be breakfast too."

"They have a restaurant?" Castle asked.

"You'll see," Alexis said.

"Enough surprising us," Castle said in mock annoyance as Julia laughed at the look on his face. He paid for their admission and when they walked in whistled saying, "This has got to be nirvana for Julia."

"Why?" the little girl asked, looking around her camera at him.

"The pictures you can take here… you're not going to have any space left at the end of this trip on the memory cards your mom and I got you," Castle said.

"Nothing wrong with that," Alexis said. "Come on Julia, I have to show you the half moon bridge."

"Half moon? What's that?" Julia asked as she took the young woman's hand and they started to walk towards a tall bridge. "Oh, wow, that's cool. Can we go up? There's steps."

"Go, we'll be right behind you," Beckett said with a smile as both Castle's daughter and hers looked back at her. She watched as Alexis tried to help Julia onto the first step, but the little girl hesitated.

"Here," Castle said, realizing that for the five year old, the bridge likely looked incredibly steep. He went up to them and helped Julia up, and followed her as she neared the top with his help and Alexis'. Once he was at the top he looked back to see if Beckett had climbed on, when she stepped up to him. "Okay, nice view, and there's the pagoda you drew for your class Julia."

"Yeah, can we go inside?" the little girl asked, looking away from her camera then.

"It doesn't have an inside, but you'll love seeing it up close," Alexis promised. "Should we start heading down?"

"We'll follow," Beckett said, holding Julia's hand to wait for them to go first. When Castle was on the ground she let her daughter go, watching as she climbed down carefully. Going down herself a lot easier, she waited to see where Julia was going to go before she took her fiancé's hand which was reaching back for hers. They followed Alexis and Julia down a path that went around a pond and then by a waterfall to steep stairs going up to the pagoda.

"What a climb, you okay Julia?" Castle asked as the little girl was taking pictures at the base of the red, white and gold structure.

"Yeah, I'm getting a lot of pictures. I hope they're good," Julia said, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"They will be," Alexis assured her. "Just make sure you don't take pictures of your fingers. Remember?"

"I tried to tell you about the lens but you insisted you were holding the camera correctly," Castle said with a shrug. "She was Julia's age and we were on the beach, she was going to take a picture of me and her gram and her fingers ended up being the main subject in it," he explained to Beckett and Julia.

"Do you want to take one of us now?" the little girl asked. "It'll be a best picture 'cause you take it."

"Thank you, and if your mom and my dad don't mind," Alexis said, taking the camera Julia held out to her.

Going over to where Julia was standing at the base of the pagoda, Castle and Beckett held her hands before Alexis took a picture. They continued on with her, before the young woman took the lead again with Julia in tow.

"Wow, that's a big Buddha," the little girl said when they came to the statue.

"She's right, and it's impressive," Castle said, stepping up to it.

"And he has to try and touch it of course," Beckett breathed to Alexis, who laughed and then tried to smother it as he was in fact trying to touch the knee of the Buddha.

"I heard that, sorry," Castle said, holding his hand up to the statue.

Waiting for Julia to take some pictures, Beckett took his arm and led him the rest of the way up to the house at the top of the path, where there was a gift shop. "I'm sorry," she said with a slight smile, rubbing his upper arm. "But I know you too well."

"I know, and I probably shouldn't have tried that," Castle said. "But it's remarkable."

"It was," Becket said. She stopped at the entrance to the shop, and they both turned as they could hear running footsteps coming towards them. "Don't run!" she called out as Julia appeared from around the foliage.

"Sorry Mommy, but Alexis said there were robes and things like in Chinatown here," Julia said, stopping abruptly and walking the rest of the way as Castle's daughter appeared then, running after her. "Can I get something?" she asked, taking her mother's hand as they walked inside.

"We'll see, you already have a robe," Beckett reminded her.

"Is that it?" Castle asked Alexis as he waited for her to reach him.

"Pretty much, I know it's small, but we've been going around for a half hour," his daughter answered with a smile.

"True, I guess we're going to spend the most time at the Academy of Sciences," Castle said.

"A lot of time, it's pretty big," Alexis said. "Come on Dad, you can get me a robe here."

"You don't have one yet?" Castle asked as his daughter took him by the hand and pulled him inside.

The gift shop was small, and a little cramped, so the four looked through it quickly, and once they'd left they headed out to the tea house below the building. Sitting at a counter around the edge of the eating area, looking out on a waterfall, Alexis took care of ordering from a kimono clad waitress before she went over to a display of drinks with Julia.

"You never came here did you?" Castle asked.

"Not exactly, I did come to Golden Gate Park, but mainly the western edge, for a picnic with May and her family," Beckett said. "Her parents, I never met Diana's mother until we came for this trip."

"Where was she at the time?" Castle said.

"In London, she met a British guy and had moved there with him," Beckett said. "But it didn't last obviously."

"Obviously," Castle said with a nod, turning to watch their daughters. "What do you think we're eating?"

"Whatever it is, it's breakfast," Beckett said simply. She smiled when Julia came back to them and she helped her daughter onto her chair. "Here's our food, let me see what you got to drink," she said quickly as the waitress came over with a tray and set out small plates, a pot of tea and four cups.

"This is jasmine tea," Alexis said, pouring the tea into the four cups with one hand as she held onto her dad's hand as it was trying to take a round, pink item on a plate. "And the food is tea sweets they serve during tea ceremonies, well, sweets and savories."

"Looks good," Castle said. "Can I get something now?" he asked when Alexis let go of his hand. She nodded, and he took a green bun before taking a bite. "That would be the savory," he said, watching as the others were getting some of the food.

Eat and drinking the tea, the meal went quickly before there was nothing left but the plates and empty kettle and cups. Beckett paid for their food as she urged Castle and Alexis to take Julia to the front of the waterfall they had been looking at, and she joined them once she had finished.

"Mommy, Mommy let me take a picture of you and Castle here!" Julia exclaimed as Beckett approached them.

"And what about-" she started to say in response to her daughter's request.

"I think it'll be better if we wait until she's done," Castle said. "She saw a couple getting their picture taken and thinks we need to too."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Beckett pointed out though he was standing in front of the waterfall.

"Oh, I never said I didn't want to," Castle said simply as she joined him. They let Julia take their picture, and as soon as she finished he motioned to Alexis.

"Mind if I take this?" the young woman asked.

Giggling, as she already knew what Alexis was doing, Julia handed her camera over and then rushed to her mother and Castle, standing with them. "More pictures," she said. "Now you and Alexis," she told Castle a little sternly.

Beckett stood behind her daughter with a smile as she took that picture, and finally said, "I think we can head over to the Academy now."

"Right, we're not going to have enough time to go through everything," Alexis said, holding her hand out to Julia. She was a little surprised when the little girl looked up at the three of them and she told her, "You don't have to walk with me if you don't want to."

"Why don't I take you," Castle said, scooping her up. "Since that's a long walk for someone with little legs still. And after you decide who you want to walk with there."

"Thank you," Julia said as he set her on his shoulders to her nod. She looked around then as they walked across the Music Concourse between the garden and the Academy of Sciences, taking a picture of the stage before Castle was walking up the last steps to the museum.

"Diana's parents are letting us use their card, so we can get in for free," Alexis said to Beckett as she had followed her to the tickets window. "It pays to know people in high places," she commented after getting their admission set. "Or in this case a native."

"Either way, something else we need to thank them for," Beckett said. "I wish we had more time. Castle," she called as he was looking across the pavilion with Julia who was still on his shoulders.

"Okay, are you excited?" Castle asked Julia as he set her down walking to where his fiancée and daughter were waiting at the entrance.

"A lot, are you?" Julia asked, taking his hand.

"A lot too, especially since you kept pretty mum on this," Castle said to Alexis before they were allowed inside. He stayed with Julia as she took a picture of the T-Rex fossil in the lobby, and said to his daughter, "Are you leading us?"

"Of course, and I know where to go first," Alexis said. She held her hand out to Julia since the little girl had finished, smiling when she ran to her. "We're going to the Earthquake exhibit first."

"I heard about that, that's when the ground shakes," Julia said as they came up to a large sphere with digital tectonic plates of the Earth on it. "How come it's all broken?"

Beckett was going to answer, when instead Castle began to tell her daughter about the plates and earthquakes. She was surprised before she felt Alexis stand next to her, looking at the young woman.

"He took a class about Natural Disasters in college," Alexis explained. "Do you see that house behind us?"

Turning, Beckett saw the white structure and nodded saying, "What's in it?"

"It's called the shake house," Alexis said. "You go into a room and you go through two earthquakes."

"Any age limits?" Beckett said, knowing then why the young woman was telling her about it.

"I saw a boy Julia's age in there last time, and look, some young kids there with that family," Alexis said as she nodded to the line. "But if you don't want to take her that's fine, I'll stay with her."

"She can go," Beckett said with a smile. "But I really hope it doesn't bother her."

"What?" Julia asked then.

"We're going to that house," Beckett said. "To see what earthquakes feel like, do you want to go though? If you want to stay outside you can, I'll stay with you."

"No I want to see," Julia said before she hesitated. "They're not real quakes are they?"

"No way," Castle said, taking her hand. "But promise me something," he asked her as they headed to the line for the house. When Julia asked what he picked her up and said seriously, "Promise you'll stand with me, in case I get a little scared."

Smiling, Julia said, "I don't think you get scared."

"Oh, he has before," Beckett said teasingly.

Shooting his fiancée a look, Castle then said, "She's right, but it'll help if you're with us."

"Kay," Julia said shyly. She became a little nervous as they went into a dark room to watch a quick movie on earthquakes, and she shivered as they went into the house.

"Do you want to leave?" Beckett asked as Castle looked down at Julia in concern at the same time she did.

"No, it's a house," Julia said, looking around the room that had bookshelves, a large bay window and even a small chandelier on the ceiling. She followed Castle as he pulled her hand and held onto the railing in the center of the room tightly as a narrator came over the speaker. When the first earthquake began, she gasped and threw her arms around Castle, holding him tightly until the shaking stopped.

"Okay?" Castle asked, looking down at the little girl.

"That scared me," Julia said.

"There's going to be another one," Alexis said, leaning over Beckett to see if she was alright. "And stronger, I should have said it was the 1906-" was all she was able to say when the room proceeded to shake, and a lot harder than the first quake; which had been the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Hoping Julia would be okay, Beckett had to hold onto the railing tightly, unable to stand without grasping it in her hand. It lasted longer than the first and she quickly picked her daughter up as soon as it was finished. "Sweetie-" she began to say as they waited to leave the room.

"I'm kay, that was scary," Julia said. "That happened for real?"

"Yeah, are you sure you're okay," Alexis said, looking a little guilty.

"I am," Julia said reassuringly, leaning in her mother's arms. "Did you have a quake like that?"

"There was a little quake about a month ago," Alexis said, taking Julia. "I was in my Irish class, and it was only… a 3.2 and apparently deep in the ground, so it was a quick shake. You heard it more than felt it."

"Were you scared?" Beckett asked, glad for the story as it was keeping Julia's attention away from the pictures of damage from the two quakes they'd experienced on the wall by them.

"Definitely, because I forgot about that part of California," Alexis answered truthfully. "But Diana assured me that happened once in a while, smaller quakes like that are common sometimes. And I told her I'll go back to NYC where they don't really happen so often."

"So where are we going next?" Castle asked as they walked up to the dome he'd noticed as they'd first entered the museum.

"This is what I have been waiting; impatiently; to show you Julia," Alexis said as she set the little girl down to get in line. "And it's called Rainforests of the World."

"In a bubble," Julia said excitedly, looking inside. "What's in it?"

"You'll see, come on," Alexis said, pulling her up to the end where there were two employees.

After being led into a small room, two workers spoke briefly about the inside of the exhibit, and Alexis told her dad and Beckett to take off their coats before they were let inside.

"Holy… now I see why you were so eager," Castle said in amazement as they were all looking up towards the top of the dome, the entire exhibit was made to look like a rainforest, even the climate was heated to simulate the same. "It's, there are birds in here… real birds," he said.

"And a number of other animals," Alexis said, smiling at his reactions. She looked at Julia, seeing the little girl was frozen, looking around at the foliage, and Beckett was a little amazed as well. "I wasn't expecting that," she couldn't help comment.

"I have never seen something like this before," Beckett said, knowing the young woman was talking about her. She smiled at Alexis and said, "But yeah, this is amazing. Are we ready to go or are we just going to strain our necks?"

"No, let's go Mommy, I want to see the birdies and plants… are there flowers?" Julia asked.

"Up top," Alexis said. "See this ramp? You go up it and around and around until you get to the very top."

"Oooh, let's go, let's go Castle!" Julia cried in joy and excitement as she ran to him and took his hand.

Laughing with Alexis as Castle had no choice but to follow, Beckett was the last to go up and she looked around them, noticing something flying around that was not a bird; it was bobbing up and down too erratically. "Are there-" she began to say, realizing what it likely was.

"I want her to find out," Alexis said quickly, cutting her off.

"Look, a butterfly!" Julia cried as they were going to where the ramp started. She pointed out a blue and black butterfly on the side of the dome, and she took a picture. "Is it real?"

"Yep, look up, you'll see them," Alexis said, watching with a smile as the little girl did so and her mouth dropped open.

"Do we go all the way up?" Julia asked.

"Come on and see," Alexis said, taking her hand. After walking by some macaws, they looked through some tanks with different fish before beginning up the ramp. She pointed out some more butterflies, and Julia was taking a number of pictures before they reached some more tanks on the next level.

"Look at this little bitty frog," Julia breathed, pulling her mother's hand. "It's orange."

"I know, it looks cute," Beckett said. "Did you get a picture?" When Julia nodded she pulled her to the next tank, which held a gecko, hanging on a bamboo branch. She went to Castle who was on the other side of the square plastic, and touched his arm saying, "I'm not surprised you're enjoying this."

"Like you said before, I have never seen anything like this before," Castle said. "So my inner child is taking over, just to warn you."

"Thanks," Beckett laughed before he took her hand and they followed Alexis and Julia back to the ramp and continued up, their next stop being the very top of the dome.

Julia seemed to go a little crazy with her camera, as most of the butterflies were in that area. She ran to a vine plant that a butterfly was on, and took a number of pictures, almost trying to touch it before it flew away.

"Don't touch sweetie," Beckett said, walking over to her. "You-" she started to say.

"Julia, come look," Alexis said.

Turning her head, Julia hurried over to Castle, who had a butterfly, with black orange and white dots on it, on his arm.

"Think you can try and get it off me and give it to her?" Castle asked Alexis.

"I can try," the young woman said, sliding her fingers under the butterfly's legs. But before she could get it, it flew away and she said to Julia, "Sorry, but I think they're a little shy."

"That's okay," the little girl replied with a smile. "Can I walk with you?"

"Go ahead, we'll wait here," Beckett said when Alexis glanced at her.

"But not too long, I'm guessing there's a lot more to go?" Castle said.

"Yep, we won't take too long," Alexis said. "Or try," she then said as they walked away. "I can't promise anything with her."

Smiling as they watched the two go to the other side of what was an elevator, Beckett turned to Castle as he leaned against the railing. Looking past him she watched the butterflies going by before pointing out something. "Cute birds," she said as he turned to look at the bright yellow bird near them.

"I'm really eager to see the rest of this place," Castle commented as they looked down into the pool of water below them, just able to see some huge fish swimming around. "If this is just one part of it."

"The earthquake part was pretty nice," Beckett said. "Though I am really glad I've never been in one as big as those two earthquakes were."

"Were you ever in any at all?" Castle asked.

"No, and I don't need to be," Beckett said.

"So that would scare you," Castle stated.

"It-" Beckett began to say before she abruptly stopped, feeling something moving around in her hair. "Don't tell me it's caught," she said as he stood up straight.

"No, I think it's looking for nectar," Castle said. "Too bad Julia's not here…"

"She'll still see since you're taking a picture," Beckett said in slight annoyance. She sighed as the butterfly then flew away and she smoothed down her hair, looking at the picture he'd taken. "Pretty," she said, seeing it was one of the larger blue butterflies. "I could tell it was a bigger one, as much hair as it was messing up."

"What's wrong?" Castle said, as they heard a child crying then and turned to see that it was Julia; Alexis carrying her over to them.

"She didn't want to go," his daughter said simply. "She started throwing a tantrum and I had to just pick her up in the end."

"Here," Castle said, slipping his phone into his pocket and taking Julia. He started to whisper to the little girl as they went over to the elevators, and she quickly stopped crying.

"R-Really?" Julia asked, sniffing slightly as he dried her cheeks.

"Yep, but shh, it's our secret," Castle said with a smile.

"I'm sorry," Julia said to Alexis. "I didn't want to go."

"I know, but it's okay, I threw some tantrums in my day," Alexis said, pushing her dad's arm when he made a motion with his hand as if to indicate it was a lot. "But you're pretty well behaved."

"Except when it comes to places like this. When she doesn't want to go, she'll let you know," Beckett said. "Luckily she's not too bad. Come here."

Leaning over so she could be transferred to her mother, Julia wrapped her arms Beckett's neck once she was holding her. "Is Santa not gonna give me presents 'cause I do that?" she asked as they stepped in the elevator car.

"I think he would understand actually," Castle said as Beckett laughed softly and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Oh, hey, that reminds me; want to see what happened when you two were looking at the butterflies?"

"What?" Alexis asked. She leaned over to see the screen of her dad's phone and said in surprise, "That went on your head?"

"No, it fluttered over my head, never landed. I'm lucky it didn't, but that was an interesting experience though I wasn't able to see what kind of butterfly it was until after," Beckett said with a smile.

"That's so cool," Julia breathed as the elevator started down and her mother turned with Castle and Alexis to look out the windows once they got past the top floor. "This is cool, thank you for bringing me."

"You're welcome," Castle, Beckett and Alexis said together, making Julia giggle.

"Um, we're going into the water… oh no!" Castle said, pretending to panic with Alexis as they descended into the pool of water at the bottom of the exhibit to make Julia laugh which she immediately did.

"Dad, no wait, it's okay, we're okay," Alexis said, laughing herself as she made him stop then as the elevator stopped. "Okay, are you ready for this?" she asked him and Beckett and Julia as the doors opened.

"Something else?" Castle asked before they stepped out.

Seeing the tunnel they needed to go through, and realizing something was at the top of it, Julia looked up and her mouth dropped open as she saw it was clear, the fish and turtles swimming above them.

When he saw the tunnel, Castle took Julia from his fiancée and set her on his shoulders, not surprised she barely broke her gaze from the fish. He soon heard the sound of her camera snapping pictures above him. He looked up with her as they walked through, and he said, "Should we stop?"

"For a while," Beckett said, since Julia had stopped taking pictures and was just watching the fish. After that time, she finally said, "Sweetie?"

"We can go," Julia sighed. "What's next?" she asked Alexis as they went through the rest of the tunnel.

"You'll see," the young woman answered simply as they came into a dark room where there was a tank, rays on the bottom of it.

"Are we gonna see fishies?" Julia asked excitedly as Castle set her down.

"That's the next part of this place, the Steinhart Aquarium," Alexis answered. "Diana's favorite part; and actually mine too; though I think it and the rainforest are tied. But everything is pretty nice here so it's really hard to pick one thing to like the most. Oh, that reminds me." She paused, waiting for Julia to take pictures of the first tank they came to after the rays. "I wanted to try and go to the planetarium, Diana and I missed the last show of the day when we came here and that's the only thing I haven't been able to see. But it says the show's for kids seven and older."

"I can go with you," Beckett said easily as they turned a corner and came to a large tank with fish, sea urchins, clams and shells in it. "Unless you want to go with your dad."

"No, that's fine," Alexis said, knowing already that Beckett wanted Castle and Julia to spend some time alone together again.

"Are we going to have enough time to do that and then split up a second time?" Castle asked, looking over at them from the sea urchin stuck to the acrylic of the tank that Julia was drawing his attention to.

"I think so," Alexis said. "There are only two more places I want to go to here in the park. And I'll just tell you now since they're not really going to surprise you like this place has so far. First is the Conservatory of Flowers, which isn't that big, and second is the carousel, maybe the Children's Playground that's next to it if we have time for it. But it's a lot of walking."

"I think we can handle it," Beckett said. "We might have to take turns carrying Julia though. When we're finished here, let me see your book."

Nodding, Alexis went to Julia and said, "Let's keep going, because they have a lot of fish here. Do you want to see them all?"

"Yes please," Julia said, leading the way for a little past the next tanks and fish they saw before they came to one with eels inside. "That one's pretty, it looks like a giraffe, like my Soky."

"I know, and see the sea star right here, stuck to the glass?" Castle asked since he had walked over to her. Reaching up to the massive, many legged sun star, he tapped on the acrylic when Julia jumped at him, trying to grab his arm and he looked down at her in surprise.

"Don't hit the glass, remember Nemo? It hurts their ears," Julia told him plaintively.

"Oh, you're right, I forgot," Castle said. "Think doing that hurts lizards?" he directed to Beckett as they went to the next tank that had anemones on the bottom.

"Most likely," Beckett said. She smiled when Castle made a face and said, "Sweetie, look at the sand dollars over here."

"What are they doing?" Julia asked Castle as they turned to where there were a group of people around tanks of water.

"Those are tidepools, you can hold sea stars and urchins," Alexis explained. "Want to?"

"Yeah," Julia nodded as she ran around in front of Castle, holding her arms up to him.

Following, Beckett stepped up next to Castle as they looked down at the water, where there were a number of peach colored sea stars, one with three arms where one should have been. Taking off her engagement ring, she tucked it into her pocket, and slid her hand below the sea star, rubbing the top of it with her other hand.

"Ooh, let me touch Mommy. Please?" Julia asked, seeing her.

"If you want to hold it, keep it under water," a young woman said. "This one lost its limb, but ended up growing back three more."

"They can do that?" Julia asked in surprise as she took the sea star from her mother.

"They can, and we have some sea urchins here as well, so you can touch those too," the worker said. "If you have any questions let me know."

"What do you think?" Alexis asked, standing on the other side of her dad and holding another of the stars.

"It's moving on my hand," Julia laughed. "Tickles. Do you want to hold it?"

"Set it down and I will right now," Castle said. He switched her to his other side and took the sea star with his right hand, feeling the suction of the animal on his skin. "You weren't kidding, and this one has more arms too." He got the sea star off his hand and touched a sea urchin near it, watching as Julia followed his example. He smiled as Julia squealed at the feeling of the spikes and couldn't help kiss her temple at her response.

"Okay, so should we move on?" Beckett asked with a smile, watching them.

"Yeah, I wanna see what's next," Julia said eagerly.

Leaving the tidepool, the four washed their hands, and Castle and Beckett followed their daughters by more tanks, coming to another large tank eventually. They all hurried after Julia as the little girl broke away from Alexis, and dodged the people in front of them. Luckily she went straight to the tank, and turned to them with a wide smile on her face, making Castle and Beckett a little reluctant to scold her.

"See the pretty fishies?" Julia asked as her mother and Castle leaned down.

"I know, but next time let us all go at the same time," Castle said, tickling her side and making her giggle.

"I'm sorry, but I wanted to run and see," Julia said apologetically.

"Okay, just don't do it again," Beckett said gently, not wanting to be too stern in her tone.

"I won't, do you see Alexis? I see Dory, a lot of them," Julia said eagerly, looking up at the young woman who was standing next to them.

"I know, I figured you'd like seeing all of this," Alexis replied with a smile, having been standing behind them a little. She had been a little amazed that in the time she'd been gone her dad seemed to be taking his desire to be a father to Julia seriously. But she wasn't too surprised that he and Beckett seemed to have slid into being parents together; she had seen it happening already though she was sure they hadn't realized it. "So," she eventually said after they'd watched the fish in front of them for a while; once Julia stopped taking pictures. "There's something you might want to check out."

"Show me!" Julia said eagerly, taking her hand.

"Your mom and my dad can show you," Alexis said, leading them around to where there was a square in the wall. "Go ahead; I'm going to stay out here."

"You can come," Castle said, as Julia and his fiancée went ahead, Beckett having to duck down.

"No, this one you can take, it's a pain to walk through there in heels," Alexis said with a smile.

"That would make sense, nice of you to not mention it to Beckett," Castle teased her.

"You think that would have stopped her?" Alexis said. "Her child wants to go in there, she's going in."

"Man, do you even really need to take any psychology classes?" Castle asked in amazement, laughing when she pushed his shoulder.

"Are you coming to see Castle?" Julia asked, coming out to them.

"Right now," he assured her. He had to nearly get down on his knees to walk after the little girl, and he started to stand, thinking he'd made it to where the room at the end opened up. "Ow, ow, shoot, I thought I cleared that," he groaned when he hit his head on the edge of the tunnel before taking another step. "Wow, it was worth it though," he said as he stood and looked around, seeing they were in an acrylic bubble inside the large tank.

"Look, these are eels Mommy said," Julia said, tugging his hand.

"Your head okay?" Beckett asked as they looked at the little snake like animals coming out of the sand at the bottom.

"It's fine, my pride was wounded more to be honest," Castle said. "So Alexis says we're almost finished here, what say we split up, and you and Julia walk through here again and I'll go with Alexis to the rainforest?"

"Sure, is she going to want to though?" Beckett asked as Julia looked up at them.

"She will, come on," Castle said, turning to leave. He knelt down, putting his hand on the top of his forehead to make sure he knew when to stand, though Julia giggled behind him and wriggled her fingers in his hair on the back of his head.

Walking through the rest of the aquarium, which also included some reptiles, the four split up, and Beckett took her daughter to the tunnel from the rainforest to the aquarium.

"Having fun sweetie?" Beckett asked the little girl as they sat on the long bench along the side of the tunnel, watching the fish above them and behind them.

"Oh, lots and lots again Mommy, this is fun," Julia said.

"Are you going to be okay going alone with Castle again?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah it's gonna be fun," Julia said simply. She sat on her mother's lap and took her left hand, turning the ring that Castle had put back on after the tidepool back and forth slightly. "Can we pet the stars again?" she finally asked.

Kissing her daughter's forehead Beckett said, "Of course, and we can take our time in here, we just need to meet them at the café in a half hour."

"Kay, I want to stay here longer, see the stars, and see the big tanks for the fishies," Julia said.

"Which we'll do right now," Beckett said, wrapping her arms tightly around her daughter and holding her close. "I love you Julia," she murmured to her softly as they looked up together at a huge arapaima and turtle swimming side by side.

"Love you Mommy, lots," Julia whispered back, wrapping her arms around her mother and snuggling close as Beckett kissed her forehead tenderly, a smile quickly appearing on her face.

* * *

"Ready to go?" Castle asked as Alexis brought Julia to where he and Beckett were standing outside the café they'd eaten lunch at.

"All set, though it was a close one," Alexis said.

"I knew I should have suggested we eat outside," Beckett said with a smile as they walked together back towards the entrance of the museum.

"It was fun Mommy, the fishies were right there next to us, there aren't any outside," Julia said earnestly.

"I know, at least you ate," Beckett said. "So where are we going now?"

"It's the African Hall," Alexis said. "And like I told Jules, there's a surprise at the end."

"I can't wait to see it!" Julia said excitedly.

"Me too, but how many surprises do you have left?" Castle asked his daughter.

"One more," Alexis said with a smile.

Walking into the hall, the first thing they saw was a diorama with a stuffed gorilla in it. Julia was a little startled at first, but the others assured her they'd be fine, and she was able to walk on holding on to Alexis and Beckett's hands, smiling as they saw hyenas, zebras and even small deer like animals. When they reached the end of the hall, she let out a gasp, and Castle quickly picked her up.

"I knew you were going to start running," he said as Julia laughed. "We'll go down and see them together, and I think I need to carry you so you can see them."

"Thank you," Julia said before she watched the penguins inside the exhibit. "They look like the ones at the zoo."

"They're African penguins, aren't they cute?" Alexis asked.

"Very," Beckett commented, watching as Julia was again taking pictures. She squeezed her daughter's hand and looked on as a couple of the penguins swam by them on the water. She smiled as the little girl waved furiously and told the animals hello, bouncing in Castle's arms in her excitement. "You want me to take her?"

"That's okay," he said quickly. "I handled Alexis; I think I can handle Julia."

"You know one of these penguins, his name is Pierre, and he started to lose his feathers in patches," Alexis commented after a while.

"Oh… can a penguin not have feathers?" Julia asked in surprise.

"Well, he wouldn't swim, so they had to make him a special coat like a wetsuit so he could go in the cold water. But if you look at them all now, he got his feathers back. There's a book in one of the gift shops about him, I'd like to buy it for her," Alexis said.

"Sounds like it'd be a good story," Castle commented, Beckett nodding in agreement.

"Hi," Julia said as one of the penguins was floating on the water by them then. "Are you Pierre, did you not have feathers?"

"I don't think he can hear you," Alexis said as she, her dad and Beckett were all smiling watching the little girl.

"Could be a girl penguin," Castle pointed out.

"Okay, should we keep going? There's more to see besides this hall right?" Beckett asked Alexis after they'd watched the birds for a while longer.

"On more thing," the young woman said. "Are you ready Julia?"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna go," she sighed deeply.

"You got some pictures though," Beckett pointed out. "Good ones right?" She smiled when her daughter nodded eagerly, and they were able to go through the other dioramas without a tantrum.

"Now," Alexis told the others as they left the African Hall. "We should get our passes for the Planetarium. And there are the sharks and rays here."

"Go," Castle said since he was still holding Julia.

"Stay here Dad, we need to go that way to the roof," Alexis said as she and Beckett walked around the side of the Planetarium.

"Why do we go to the roof?" Julia asked when they were alone.

"I think that's another little surprise," Castle said before he turned her attention to the water in front of them, watching the rays and sharks that were swimming around. "All set?" he asked a few minutes later when the two walked back to them.

"We are, it's in another half hour," Beckett said. "And we had a discussion as we were waiting to get the passes-"

"Not an argument?" Castle asked.

"No Dad, the show is about a half hour and after that we're pretty much done," Alexis said. "So we think we should split up for forty five minutes instead of just the time of the show."

"Can we?" Julia asked.

"And what exactly will you two do for that extra time?" Castle said, looking at them as they walked over to the entrance again.

"We'll find something to do I'm sure," Beckett said, glancing at Alexis. "I know, I owe you," she said, shaking her head though she was smiling. "Now the roof right?"

"Yeah," Alexis said. "This is my absolute favorite part of the museum because I've never seen anything like this yet."

Castle was a little confused at that, but they went in an elevator up to the third floor, where they went up one more flight of stairs, stepping out into the cold and wind. "And again," he said as he watched his fiancée's and daughter's hair blow in the breeze.

"Not as bad as Fisherman's Wharf. But wow Alexis, you weren't kidding," Beckett said as she looked to her left and could see the grass and flowers covering the roof.

"I love this Living Roof, because it does so much environmentally," Alexis said, sounding excited. "Look, it says here," she said, handing the map to the place to her dad.

"It's pretty too," Julia said, watching some bees at some tiny white flowers in front of where they were leaning against the railing. "What are the orange flowers?"

"California poppies," Beckett said. "We saw them before when we went to Diana's house remember?"

"Oh, these are big though," Julia said, taking pictures. "They're pretty."

"They are, are you cold sweetie?" Beckett asked, seeing Julia shivering.

"Little bit," Julia said, going to her mother and wrapping her arms around her. "Why does it have hills? And windows?"

"The hills are the tops of the Planetarium, and then the rainforest. Do you remember how there were circles in the ceiling there?" Alexis explained. When Julia nodded she said, "Those windows open too, look at the picture on the map."

"I see, why don't they open now?" Julia asked. "Is it 'cause it's too cold?"

"I think so," Castle said. He stood with his daughter for a little longer, and said, "The show?"

"Yeah, we should go Beckett," Alexis said, looking at her watch.

Going down to the first floor, the four then split up, and as soon as they had watched Alexis and Beckett heading for the line for the Planetarium, Castle swung Julia up onto his shoulders and headed for the rainforest exhibit; what he'd promised to take her to see earlier.

"Do you want to see this again?" Julia asked once they were allowed into the dome.

"Of course, and when we head out to the aquarium, is there anything you want to see one more time?" Castle asked.

Thinking for a minute as they headed over to the ramp, Julia finally said, "The stars?"

"We'll check those out and see how much time is left," Castle said. He picked her up to she could see the macaws, and then asked, "Want to go up?"

"Please," Julia said. "I just want to see the butterflies."

"Okay, but when I was going up with Alexis earlier, I saw some places that would be really good to take a picture," Castle told her. He smiled when she asked him excitedly where, and he went around the ramp until he stopped at the railing, and looked over it with the little girl.

Snapping a picture of the pool under them, Julia then took one of the view they had of the dome and said, "Those are good."

"Then to the top we'll go," Castle said, switching her up to his shoulders. At the top she made him carry her a little longer since she was closer to the butterflies there, but finally he set her down. He followed as she pulled on his hand to go to the other side of the elevators, and saw why she'd nearly had a tantrum earlier. There were more flowers, and more butterflies on that side. "Julia," he said then seriously, kneeling down to get her attention. "You'll go when I say we need to right?"

Giggling, Julia kissed him on the lips; a quick peck; and said, "Kay."

A little surprised, Castle smiled slightly at that and kissed her forehead before he stood, following her to a planter where there was a plant with red flowers inside it. He had to wonder why she had kissed him like that; up until then she would only kiss his cheek. But he wasn't going to ask her why, not wanting her to think he hadn't liked that. Seeing Julia taking a picture of a black and orange butterfly on a flower, he felt something on his hand and looked down, seeing it was the same kind of butterfly. "Julia," he whispered.

Gasping, Julia took a quick picture before she reached out, wanting to try and take it from him. She smiled as Castle moved his hand slowly, and she bit her lower lip hard as the butterfly simply walked onto the top of her hand. "Thank you," she said, looking up at him.

"Smile, I'm going to send this to your mom," Castle said, his phone out. He was just able to take a picture before the insect flew off, and they watched it go to the plant in front of them.

"That was neat, and cool too," Julia said excitedly.

"I know, you'll have to tell your mom and Alexis about it when we see them," Castle said. "Are you ready to go?"

"No," Julia said with a pout before she giggled. "Little bit more?"

"Little bit," Castle said, leaning down and kissing her cheek. He smiled as she laughed again at that, and then turned her attention to the plant behind them with more flowers and more butterflies. He watched her, his mind wandering to his fiancée and Alexis; and what exactly they were going to do together until they rejoined them again. But Julia called his attention to a butterfly that looked more like a moth, and he had to shake his line of thought, going over to her to take a picture for her at her pleading, earning him a quick hug in response.

* * *

"There was something I wanted to ask you Alexis," Beckett said as she and Castle's daughter were standing at the pool of water where the sharks and rays were.

"Okay," the young woman said, looking at her.

"There's never really been a point when you've been jealous of Julia has there?" Beckett asked. "You don't feel like your dad is trying to…"

"Replace me with Julia because she's little. Trying to relive my childhood with her? Believe it or not, he's asked me that same question," Alexis said.

"He hasn't-" Beckett started to say, worried the young woman would think Castle was doing that.

"Believe me, I know he isn't. I think Julia and I are pretty different and our childhoods are very different too. But to answer your first question, no, I've never been jealous of Julia. I love her and I wasn't kidding when I said I was her big sister the other night," Alexis said. "So I'm not jealous and I have never, never thought my dad was replacing me with her. Or you, because I can sense that's somewhere in the back of your question."

"It is, it's a concern I've had," Beckett admitted. "I've tried to make sure our two families were merging, not two separate units with your dad coming to our family."

"That's what he said he was trying to do; not keeping us as separate families," Alexis said. She saw the look on Beckett's face and asked, "You didn't know?"

"It wasn't something we discussed. But, I'm not surprised he was doing that," Beckett said. She heard her daughter's voice and turned seeing Julia running over to her and she smiled before picking her up. "You're early," she said to Castle who had come up behind her.

"I know, but she was eager to see her mom," Castle said.

"Where do we go now?" Julia asked eagerly, running her fingers through her mother's hair.

"To the stores, and then we can see those flowers," Beckett said. She started to put Julia down, but when the little girl held onto her tighter she simply started to walk to the first gift shop which they were near. She kissed her daughter's temple and murmured to her, making her giggle as she pressed her cheek against hers.

* * *

"I find myself in awe of a lot of San Francisco's architecture," Castle commented as they were walking up to the Conservatory of Flowers after leaving the Academy of Sciences.

"I know, and before you ask, I've never been here," Beckett said.

"You beat me to asking," Castle said. "Okay, then it'll be interesting to check this out. Though one of us has been here before…"

"What? I thought I was supposed to be your tour guide?" Alexis asked with a smile when he looked over at her. She laughed when he grabbed her and Julia ran off to take pictures of the pansies in the grass on either side of the path. "Be prepared for her to take a lot more pictures."

"It's something we resigned ourselves to," Beckett said. "And really, she is pretty good at it. I'm not saying that because I'm her mother though."

"Wait until we get inside, she's going to love what they have here," Alexis said with a wide smile as they went up a flight of stairs. "I will take care of the admission," she said matter of factly to her dad as he began to pull out his wallet.

"I've got dinner though… wait, no, lunch tomorrow," Castle said, correcting himself.

"Gram will be there," Alexis said as Beckett was getting Julia to go through the entrance to the large white building.

"It should be fun. I just hope she won't mind seeing the sea lions," Beckett commented. "Sweetie," she said, getting Julia's attention by kneeling down. "You can go ahead of us, but you need to stay close enough for us to see you." She let go of her daughter's shoulder and watched her go down the path to their right, stopping and taking some pictures of the many orchids in the room.

"Actually, I think I'll go with her, so we can go a little faster," Alexis said, smiling at the two before she went to Julia.

"I'm glad she did that, I wanted to mention something to you," Castle said. "When we were in the rainforest; Julia and I; she gave me a quick kiss on the lips; a quick peck really."

"On the lips?" Beckett said, a little surprised at first. She then thought about that and smiled saying, "She's accepting you more."

"Or she could have been trying to distract me from her agreeing to leave when I said so," Castle said. He smiled when Beckett shook her head and said, "Well, it startled me, but it was probably just a… onetime thing."

"I don't know Castle," Beckett said as they followed their daughters then. "I've told you before she does love you, so see what happens tonight when you kiss her goodnight."

"I was planning on that," Castle said, taking her hand and tucking it in his arm, feeling it slide to his upper arm.

Walking through the building, the four soon came to a room that was behind a door. As soon as they stepped inside, they were all hit by a hot, muggy climate and they nearly staggered back, except for Alexis.

"You couldn't have warned us about that?" Castle asked his daughter.

"My camera!" Julia suddenly shrieked before the young woman could answer. "Mommy, Castle it's broken," she said, sounding tearful.

"No, it's okay," Alexis said quickly. "It's just because it's so humid it fogs up glass. But your camera is alright; once we leave it'll go back to normal."

"You know sweetie," Beckett said, looking at the screen of the camera. "I think if you took pictures here they'd look pretty interesting."

"Try," Castle urged the little girl as she looked a little hesitant.

Going to some purple orchids, Julia took a picture and hurried back to the others, showing them the screen and watching for their reactions.

"She was right Jules, I think it came out great, like it's a dream," Alexis said, smiling as Julia did so shyly.

"What she said, and I love it," Castle said, leaning down and kissing her forehead as she suddenly started to blush.

"It's why I gave you that camera; you have a photographer's eye. Like your grandpapa," Beckett said.

"He's-" Castle started to say as Alexis and Julia walked ahead of them.

"He used to be, he was the photographer for his school's paper in his junior year," Beckett said. "But he started college and kind of fell out of the hobby. With Julia though they're bonding over it."

"That's great to hear," Castle said, holding his arm out as she slid her fingers up the back of his arm. "He gives her tips?"

"Mmm-hmm, you know those days they spend together? Just them? When the weather was better they went to different gardens and parks, down by the Hudson, taking pictures," Beckett said. "He says if she doesn't end up a dancer she'd be a good photographer."

"She would, but-" Castle started to say.

"She'll be a dancer," both he and Beckett finished at the same time.

"Do you mind that?" she then said as Alexis and Julia left the room since the two had gone completely around it.

"Not at all, I love having a free spirited, artistic daughter the way Julia is, and having a caring, smart daughter as Alexis is," Castle said. "Not to say Julia isn't, but I'm talking about her career choice there."

"Both of theirs," Beckett said, smiling since Castle had been a little frantic to reassure her. She rubbed his upper arm as they left the room saying, "I'm looking forward to tonight."

"Me too, you two are going to love the restaurant, Mediterranean, and after we'll head to the Presidio," Castle commented.

"What's at the Presidio?" Beckett asked.

"You'll find out," Castle said. "And I can see the look on your face out of the corner of my eye and yes, I'll make it up to you later, I promise." He then turned to her when her expression changed and said, a little startled, "Do you not want me to?"

"It depends more on what you mean by that," Beckett said. "We'll see though."

"Mommy, can I walk with you now?" Julia asked, hurrying back to them.

"Are you tired?" Beckett asked.

"Little," Julia said shyly.

"Too much walking," Castle said, taking her and putting her on his shoulders. He took her camera and handed it to Beckett saying, "Want to take pictures?"

"Sure," she said, smiling up at her daughter who was leaning her head down on Castle's. "Tell me what to take."

Nodding, Julia then directed her mother to take pictures of the swamp plants they went through and some more flowers until they reached the entrance. "Can we go play now?" she asked, remembering Alexis talking about a playground earlier.

"The carousel and then the playground," Alexis said as they left the building. "But are you sure you can play?"

"Yeah, I'm not gonna be tired when we go there," Julia said seriously.

"Let's just hope you're not tired for tonight," Castle said, looking up at her. He laughed when Julia shook her head; feeling her do so; and he followed his fiancée and daughter down the street to the carousel in the south east corner of the park.

* * *

"Kate, you- oh, I was checking to see how much longer," Castle said, walking into the bedroom later that evening.

"I'm finished, I just hope Julia's ready," Beckett said a little absently, going to the mirror against the wall next to the closet. She put on her aquamarine earrings when she saw Castle come up behind her, smiling slightly. "So, my second dress from Zara," she said, turning to him.

"Yeah, I see that," Castle said, glancing down at her dress before he looked back up at her. "And if my expression isn't saying it, it looks amazing."

"Thank you, you can thank Julia for her choice," Beckett said, walking out to the main room of the suite. She could feel Castle's gaze on the low back of her dress that was so pale blue that it looked white, the neckline a v shape as the back was, but slightly more modest than her dress she'd worn when they'd gone out together, a corded sash under her breasts. "And please do because she of course is worrying about your opinion," she said as she watched his gaze travel down her body before snapping back up to her eyes.

"I'll have to compliment her on her choice," Castle said. "She's got a knack for colors apparently."

"She's seen my clothes at home, so she knows already," Beckett said, watching him go to the credenza under the TV. "What's this?" she asked, taking the paper he held to her. She read it, and her mouth dropped open slightly before she looked up at him saying in a little shock, "This is where we're going tonight?"

"It is," Castle said. "But don't tell her about the special guest, I want her to be surprised."

"Of course," Beckett said. "Should we tell her about the music?"

"Naturally," Castle said. "That I don't mind her knowing."

"How'd you find out about this?" Beckett asked.

"Alexis, she saw a flier for it in Sausalito and sent me a picture along with the site to get the tickets," Castle said. "I tried to get tickets for all of us, but it was so last minute and… he's going to be there, so I was lucky to get the three I did. I just hope," he said as he went to open the door at the flurry of knocks there. "The other show will be worth it. Come on in guys."

"We're going to go Dad," Alexis said, stepping inside with Julia and Diana, all of them dressed up. "We want to walk around North Beach a little since Di says some stores will still be open."

"Okay, then you have your tickets," Castle said, handing two to her. "And have fun."

"Thank you so much Mr. Castle," Diana said happily. "I thanked Martha already; she called while we were getting Julia ready."

"Thanks for doing that by the way," Beckett said with a smile.

"Not a problem, it was a lot of fun. And Gram's doing fine, packing to come back in the morning, she said she should be here about ten," Alexis said. She hugged Julia and kissed her cheek after the little girl had kissed hers telling her, "I want to know all about you get to do tonight."

"I'll tell you," Julia promised. She waved to Diana as Alexis hugged Castle and the two young women said goodbye before leaving. "Now what?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Now we go to dinner ourselves before our show. But first," Castle said. "You picked a really nice dress for your mom you know."

Laughing, Julia turned back and forth in her sky blue dress saying, "Mommy picked mine."

"And she did a good job," Castle said, holding out Julia's coat to help her into it. "I know," he said when he saw the look on the girl's face. "But it's still pretty cold."

"Mommy-" Julia began.

"We're all wearing coats sweetie," Beckett said, having put on her own. She went to her daughter and buttoned up her grey coat, leaning down and kissing her before she stood back up. "But now that you're here, I can tell you about our show." She smiled when Julia looked up at her eagerly and said, "It's at a new dance theater they made in the Presidio and they're having the first performance tonight."

"Is it a play?" Julia asked.

When Beckett looked at him, Castle quickly said, "No, it's going to be Ballroom dancing, to the songs of The Beatles and their solo work too. The manager of the troupe that's going to perform there is apparently a fan and got permission to use the songs; it's on the site," he explained to his fiancée.

"Oooh, can we go now?" Julia breathed, looking shocked.

"After dinner," Beckett promised. "For now, we're headed to Mediterranean…?"

"Right," Castle said. "Never heard of it, but Diana's parents recommended it."

"Okay, then let's go," Beckett said.

"So we can see the dance faster!" Julia said, jumping up and down as Castle and Beckett watched her. She cried out when he suddenly picked her up, and she giggled, hugging him around the neck as they left the suite, kicking her legs in her excitement.

* * *

"Sit Julia, I don't know if you can go on the dance floor," Beckett said, taking Julia's hand to pull her from the floor they were standing right in front of. She shook her head as she looked around at the theater, wondering how exactly Castle had managed to get front row seats. But it didn't surprise her really that he had been able to, and she smiled watching her daughter staring around in amazement.

"Apparently they're going to let people dance in a little bit; on the floor here," Castle said, coming up to them. "And there are refreshments; do you want anything to drink?"

"Wine if they have any, some lemonade or water for her," Beckett said. "Sorry you have to leave again."

"It's fine," Castle said with a shrug. "It shouldn't take me too long anyways, and hopefully by the time I'm back the music will start."

"Can I dance Mommy?" Julia asked eagerly.

"As soon as the music starts," Beckett said, pulling her close and kissing her forehead.

"I'm glad Castle likes your dress," Julia commented as they watched the theater filling up with people.

"Me too, but you look very sweet tonight. Did Alexis take a picture for your grandpapa?" Beckett asked her.

Nodding her head Julia said, "And one with her phone so she could send it to Martha."

Smiling at that, Beckett was going to speak when the lights on the dance floor dimmed a little and music began to play. She wasn't too surprised when it was the Beatles' _I Saw Her Standing There_ , or that her daughter cried out happily and went up the slight step onto the floor, jumping up and down in time to the music. Standing up herself, she followed Julia and took her hands, dancing a little simply with her since she couldn't really jump as her daughter was in her heels.

Walking back with the drinks he'd gotten, Castle hung back behind their three chairs, watching Beckett and Julia dancing with a smile. His fiancée spun her daughter and the little girl noticed him, waving before he could see her trying to yell, "Come dance," over the loud music. He went up to their seats and left the drinks there before he joined them, laughing slightly when Julia grabbed his hands, jumping up and down in time to the song. "I take it she's having fun," he yelled to Beckett.

"Pretty much," she said with a smile, watching them. She leaned into him and said, "It'll be interesting to see her reaction when the show starts."

Nodding, Castle continued to dance with Julia as Beckett went to get one of the glasses of wine. The song stopped then and he took the little girl to their seats saying, "I'm sure you're thirsty," when she tried to stop him.

Sitting on one of the chairs, Julia looked up as the song _My Love_ played and she said to Castle and Beckett, "Go dance, this is a slow song."

"Would you like to?" Castle asked, looking at his fiancée. He was surprised when she merely set down her glass before taking his hand. On the dance floor, he wrapped his arm around her as his right hand held hers, swaying with her in time to the music.

"She's watching us," Beckett said with a smile as she was looking towards Julia. She waved over Castle's shoulder when her daughter waved to her, and she wrapped both her arms around his neck.

"She's never seen us dance before has she?" Castle asked.

"No, so I'm sure she'll be telling us to again. She has a huge smile on her face," Beckett replied.

The song ended, and Castle led Beckett back to their seats where they waited another five minutes before the lights dimmed and Julia bounced in her chair. In the middle of the dance floor, a man in a tuxedo entered a spotlight, introducing himself as the manager of the troupe and the main funder of the new theater.

"It is a privilege to be here tonight with you all to break in this new dance floor," the man said. "And to have our very special guest here tonight to help us in that. Let's have a round of applause for Derek Hough who is an old friend and was gracious to come tonight."

As soon as he'd said the name, Julia let out a short shriek before covering her mouth with her hands, looking at her mother and Castle with wide eyes.

"I see we have a fan of Derek's in the audience with us," the manager said with a smile. "So you'll enjoy tonight, we have four couples, Derek with our troupe dancer Mary Belafonte, and they will be dancing to songs by Paul McCartney. Vlad Kaminski with Jessica Roe will dance to songs by John Lennon, Henry Masterson and Georgia Franks to songs by George Harrison and Paul Fuqua and Olivia Graber to songs by Ringo Starr. They have chosen each song themselves, and they have been spending the past three weeks preparing. We have a short clip, an introduction if you will, so you might have an idea of what we'll see tonight. Enjoy," he said, reading off a card before gesturing to a large TV screen on one end of the theater where the clip began to play.

Watching Julia, Castle and Beckett became more impatient for the show to actually start, knowing the little girl was extremely thrilled as her favorite dancer soon appeared on the screen with his partner.

The manager walked back onto the dance floor after the movie, and announced, "We'll have our partners dancing the Jive first tonight and first to go will be Vlad and Jessica who are dancing to John's song _Ya Ya_."

Standing up, Julia jumped up and down as she clapped her hands, the couple coming out to the middle of the dance floor.

Watching the couple and also Julia, Beckett reached over and squeezed Castle's hand, as they could see she was absolutely entranced. She smiled at him when he took her hand, and entwined their fingers before pulling her a little towards him.

"Imagine how she'll be when Derek comes out," Castle whispered. He wasn't too surprised when Beckett nodded in agreement, and they sat back to watch the little girl together until the dance ended. The manager spoke a little with the couple about their song choice, and he found himself irritated for the man to hurry so the professional dancer could come out. He smiled a little at himself, guessing Julia's anticipation was contagious; though he found himself waiting more for the end of the show.

Julia; when Derek and his partner came out; was holding her hands up to her face, but she still squealed a little as they began to dance their Jive to Paul's song _Save Us_. She put her hands down quickly as the music began, and watched in awe as the two danced, her eyes never leaving them as her mouth dropped open slightly.

"Did you like that sweetie?" Beckett asked in the chance she had before the next couple came out to dance. She looked at Castle, trying not to laugh at the completely flabbergasted look on her daughter's face, but saw that he was doing so behind his hand.

When Beckett slapped him on the chest, Castle jumped a little and said, "Sorry, but that's pretty adorable."

"I know," she sighed. But that was all she could say as the song _All Those Years Ago_ began and she sat back to watch the next dance. She kept her hand on her daughter's back as the couple dancing to Ringo's song went last, and the manager announced the next dance, the Argentine Tango. She watched the first dance, but when the next; with Derek and his partner; started she found herself focusing more on Julia as she loved seeing the absolute enraptured expression on her face.

Watching as well, Castle was a little startled when, after four more dance styles from the pairs, the lights came up and there was an intermission. "So what do you think? And why don't you sit down? I'm sure you're tired," he said to Julia when she turned from them, moving more than just her arms since the dancing had begun.

"Oh Mommy, did you see? Derek was right by us, he was dancing!" Julia said, jumping up and down.

"I know sweetie," Beckett said with a smile as she drew Julia to her, setting her on her lap.

"Which dance of Derek's did you like the most?" Castle asked since the little girl was sitting facing him.

"The Paso Doble," Julia said, nodding her head as she thought for a moment.

"I didn't think you could dance that to _Helter Skelter_ , but he proved me wrong," Castle said to Beckett.

"Very true, but then Derek is one of the best dancers there are," she commented. "So I don't think we need to ask if you're having fun," she said to Julia.

"I'm having this much fun," Julia said, holding her arms out wide. "I don't want the dancing to stop!"

"Well, what do they have left?" Castle asked.

"The Quickstep," Beckett said. "Foxtrot and both waltzes if they're doing both and the Rumba. Oh, the Tango if they're doing that one."  
"And Freestyle, remember the manager was talking about that after the first set of dances," Castle reminded her. "It'll be interesting to see what Derek does for that."

"And they have to do Contemporary too," Julia said.

"Yeah, you're right," Castle said, when the lights suddenly went down. He looked on with Beckett as Julia jumped off her lap and stood where she'd been before, gazing out at the dance floor expectantly.

"For our next dance we have the Quickstep," the manager announced, standing on the edge of the dance floor. "And first we have Vlad and Jessica with _Tight A$_."

Julia hummed to the music, and watched the couple glide across the floor. When they had finished, she soon saw Derek and his partner stepping out and she jumped up and down, clapping as their song began; a favorite of hers, _You Gave Me the Answer_. She almost started to sing along with it, but she forgot the words as she was watching the steps the two were dancing.

When that dance was over, Beckett leaned over and kissed her daughter's forehead before the Rumba was introduced next. She leaned over to Castle and whispered, "No covering her eyes."

"Wasn't planning on it," he said with a smile as they watched the first couple's dance to _Woman_. He squeezed Beckett's hand when it finished, loving those lyrics and thinking they were very appropriate. They watched Derek and Mary then dancing to Paul's version of _Always_ and he couldn't help wrap his arm around her waist. He wanted to explain what he was thinking with the lyrics from the two songs when the third couple came out; dancing to George's _Someplace Else_.

Julia turned to Castle and Beckett as soon as the song finished, and she grabbed their hands at the same time saying seriously, "That's a good song for you. And Paul's was too."

"They're both great songs," Beckett agreed. "Keep watching the show," she urged her daughter, kissing her cheek. When Julia had turned back to the floor she murmured to Castle, "I think we were both thinking that already."

"I think so," Castle said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it quickly enough so they could watch the last Rumba, danced to _Pure Gold_.

With the rest of the dances, Julia never stopped standing, though eventually her mother and Castle tried to get to her to sit for a little. But she was too engrossed, listening to each song, watching the moves and stepping as close as she dared to the floor as Derek danced. She was a little disappointed when the Freestyles were over, and the lights came up. "Is it over?" she asked with a slight whine.

"It is," Castle said. "Is it okay if you two stay here, I need to talk with someone backstage; about our tickets."

"That's fine; I'm assuming you have to sign some books?" Beckett asked.

"Pretty much," Castle said, starting to step onto the dance floor. "Oh, Alexis asked me to let her know the songs they used tonight. She said she wants to talk with Julia about them." He pulled a small pad of paper out of his pocket, giving it and a pen to Beckett before he left to go backstage.

"Okay, so first was _Ya Ya_ , right?" Beckett asked, thinking the request a little strange but doing it anyways as it would calm Julia down she hoped.

"Yeah, and Derek danced to _Save Us_ , that was sooo cool. And he danced it great too Mommy," Julia said seriously.

"I know," Beckett said, kissing her cheek. With her daughter's excellent memory of the songs, the list was completed in very little time, but Castle still hadn't returned. She was a little concerned, but decided the person had more books than he'd expected, so she let Julia go up onto the dance floor to try and imitate some of the moves she'd seen that night. Checking her phone some time later, she finally started to text her fiancé and find out if he was finished yet when she heard footsteps, but what caught her attention next as she looked up, was that there were two sets. Seeing Castle walking with someone, she quickly recognized who the other person was, and her mouth dropped open in shock for the second time that night.

Looking up from her feet as she heard the footsteps too, Julia saw it was Castle, and then looked to the other man with him. She let out a gasp and her eyes went wide as Derek Hough stopped in front of her.

"Julia, there's someone who wants to meet you," Castle said to the little girl, loving the expression on her face.

"Hey, so you're the one I saw standing watching every time Mary and I danced," Derek said. "Your dad said you're a big fan of mine."

Hearing that, Beckett looked at Castle but she merely shook her head at his mouthed apology, knowing they'd discuss it later.

"I… you're my favorite dancer," Julia finally blurted out before she blushed deeply.

"And you want to be a dancer too," Derek said, kneeling down so he was face to face with her.

"A lot, like you, but I dance ballet now," Julia explained in a rush, biting her lower lip.

"That's a really good place to start. But have you danced anything that's Ballroom before?" Derek asked.

When Julia shook her head no, Beckett looked at her fiancé, and realized what he had probably asked the dancer to do, and she took in a deep breath for a moment before turning her attention to her daughter.

"Okay, then how about I show you the Foxtrot? Just a few steps," Derek said, looking at Beckett. "If it's okay with your mom and dad."

"Teach her anything you want. Just no Rumba steps yet. And I'm Kate Beckett," she said, shaking his hand quickly then.

"It's nice to meet you, and I'm glad to hear you're encouraging her in her desire to be a ballroom dancer," Derek said.

"Is there any age limit to that, or could she start taking lessons now?" Beckett asked quickly.

"She can start now if she wants to, but you know you'll have to do some dances with a boy," Derek said, smiling down at the little girl who was watching him.

"I know," Julia said with a blush. "I just wanna dance like you did."

"Okay, then let's start with the box step," Derek told her. He showed her the four steps, and then held her hands as they faced each other. "Now what you need to remember is that you're mirroring your partner, so you can't go the same foot as me or it'll be opposite."

Julia bit on her lower lip in concentration as they stepped together, just remembering in time to start with her left foot. "Is that's why they say it's hard for girls to dance?" she asked when they stopped.

"It is; have you ever seen any Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies?" Derek asked. When Julia shook her head no he said to Castle and Beckett, "They're age appropriate for her, and an example of some great ballroom dancing."

"We'll have to look into those," Beckett said, Castle nodding. "So how'd she do her first time dancing ballroom?"

"For your age, very well," Derek said, smiling when Julia blushed and giggled.

"Is it okay for her to take a picture with you?" Castle asked quickly, knowing the dancer had to leave for LA since he was still on that season of _Dancing With the Stars_ at that point.

"Sure, autograph?" Derek asked.

"For her and my daughter Alexis," Castle said.

"Sure, just get me a piece of paper and pen. And you need a camera," Derek said, looking down at Julia who looked a little shocked. "Do you want to take a picture?" he asked.

"Oh, I want to, please," Julia nearly begged. She went over to the dancer when he'd knelt next to her and she stood next to him, hugging him as her mother and Castle took pictures with their phones. "Thank you," she said, watching as he wrote a little note to her on the piece of paper he'd gotten from Castle.

"You're very welcome, I hope you enjoy learning to dance," Derek said, signing the next paper to Alexis.

Beckett was a little surprised when Castle leaned over and whispered to Derek briefly before the dancer chuckled and nodded before shaking his hand.

"Thanks for the books, I definitely appreciate it," Derek was saying to Castle. "I wasn't expecting to meet Nikki Heat, well, sort of," he commented as he shook Beckett's hand.

Smiling at that, she was going to reply to that when Derek suddenly spun her under his arm and she looked at him with wide eyes. "It was nice to meet you," she said, recovering as she could hear Julia clapping with delight.

"The same here," Derek said, going to Julia. "It was great to meet you, and have fun dancing Julia."

"Thank you, thank you for teaching me Foxtrot Derek," Julia breathed. She watched the dancer wave to them before going backstage and she felt her mother helping her into her coat as she looked down at her piece of paper with Derek's short note and autograph on it, a smile spreading across her lips.

* * *

"Julia? Kate, are you sure she's okay?" Castle asked as she walked into the room the little girl and Alexis were sharing.

"She's in shock I think, I'm in absolute shock; we just met Derek Hough," Beckett said, shaking her head in amazement. "How did you do that?"

"I may have donated some money to the troupe and theater, and asked if there was a chance Derek would meet with us," Castle said. "I didn't expect him to be a fan though, so I had to sign all the Nikki Heat books he had with him."

"Which is why you took longer to come out from backstage," Beckett said with an understanding nod as she sat on the edge of the bed next to him; Julia on his lap.

"So you both got to dance with Derek, not too bad I think," Castle said.

"Well, he just spun me," Beckett said, shooting him a look. "Any reason for that?"

"I wanted you to have the chance, and I knew he had to go, so it was quick, and it had to be fun," Castle said with a slight smirk.

Sighing, though she hadn't minded that, Beckett stood up and motioned for him to put Julia on the bed. "Are you okay sweetie?" she asked as Castle sat next to the little girl so he could say goodnight first.

"Yeah, you… you did that for us?" Julia whispered, looking at Castle.

Smiling as he straightened her emerald pendant that had twisted, he said, "I did, because I know how much it means to you to dance. And I hope you liked it." Castle was a little taken aback when Julia suddenly launched herself at him, and kissed his cheeks wildly, crying out, "Thank you!" repeatedly until she kissed his lips rapidly a few times along with his face. "You're very welcome," he said, not surprised she looked a little unsure as she covered with mouth with her Stitch doll.

"It's alright to kiss him like that, remember, he's going to be your father," Beckett said, watching and realizing that kiss on the lips at the Academy of Sciences wasn't a fluke. She felt a sense of relief and more than a little joy at seeing her daughter do that, and she said, "You said Celia kisses her dad like that to say goodnight."

"Yeah she does," Julia said, though she was blushing as she glanced at Castle.

Hugging her tightly to him, Castle said, "Then I don't mind." He pulled back enough to kiss her on the lips, surprised when she pecked him on the lips back. He glanced at Beckett when Julia buried her face into his neck and he then told the little girl, "You should get some sleep now you know."

"Kay, what do we do tomorrow?" Julia asked eagerly as Castle moved to let Beckett sit where he'd been.

"Martha will be back, so we're taking her first to Fisherman's Wharf, and then we head to Oakland and the museum Alexis needs to see for her class," Beckett said, hugging Julia tightly, kissing her temple. "And then maybe if we have enough time before dinner we'll go to see some redwoods."

"What are those?" Julia asked, letting her mother tuck her in as she lay back.

"Trees, really, really nice ones," Castle said.

"Goodnight Julia, we'll stay until Alexis gets here," Beckett said, sharing a kiss with her daughter. "I love you."

"Love you Mommy," Julia said. She smiled when Castle leaned over telling her, "I love you too Julia." She reached up to him and patted his face before she gave him another quick peck on the lips, giggling shyly when he responded. "Night Castle," she said, wrapping her arms around her Stitch doll tightly.

"Sweet dreams Julia," Castle said, going with Beckett to the doorway. They watched her soon fall asleep, and he closed the door after he and his fiancée had walked out into the main room. "Well, it's ten thirty, they'll probably be back soon," he commented, looking at his watch.

"She'll have loved it I'm sure," Beckett said, knowing he was still worried about the show that Alexis had seen that night. "And I'm sure Diana did too. Come on, while we wait we can watch something together. But I hope you're right, it would be nice if they came back soon." She smiled as Castle looked at her, knowing he was trying to see if that had been said seriously or jokingly, but she only turned and walked to the couch in front of the TV, feeling his gaze on her with every step she took.

* * *

The lights in the main room of the suite were low, and Castle and Beckett were standing in the space left between the table and TV, dancing together to the music playing off a station he had found. He pulled her closer before he felt her turning to him, enough to whisper into his ear.

"Any reason why you wanted to dance again?" Beckett asked.

"Because it was nice when we did it earlier. And I want to be the last guy to dance with you tonight," Castle replied.

"That and feel me up," Beckett said, pulling back to look at him. "What? You didn't think I would feel what your hand's been doing pretty much this whole time?"

"Do you want me to stop, we've been doing this for a while," Castle said.

"No, but I think I'd like to sit," Beckett said. "I think we should talk."

"Sure, but first, a drink," Castle said, going to the little refrigerator in the credenza. He pulled out a bottle of wine; the only thing in there; and poured out two glasses before he went to the couch, sitting with Beckett.

"So we know now that the first kiss wasn't just to keep you there longer," she commented before taking a sip of the red wine.

"I know, I was shocked," Castle said honestly. "But, she's still not replying to my I love you verbally. Which," he said, holding up his hand to stop her from speaking. "Is okay. But there's something I did want to ask you; do you think she'll ever call me dad? Or is it just going to be Castle, even after we're married."

"She'll probably say it, but it needs to be on her own time," Beckett said simply. "She will say it though, because I feel she's close to feeling comfortable enough to understanding what you mean to her and that you won't leave our lives."

"So she doesn't want to lose me, but isn't sure I'll stay a part of your lives," Castle said.

"That's how I see it, Alexis agrees," Beckett said with a slight smile. "And I told you she'd love the show."

Smiling as he remembered his daughter's reaction coming home from _Beach Blanket Babylon_ ; and Diana's; Castle said, "I was pretty happy to see that, and her reaction to the autograph and pictures was priceless."

"I know," Beckett said with a smile. "And about that show…"

"What?" Castle said, wondering what she was thinking as she didn't speak for a while.

Beckett stood up then, and took a step towards the window before turning and said; wondering at his reaction; "That was the sweetest thing you've ever done for our daughter. I mean," she said quickly as he slid to the edge of the couch closer to her at that. "Paul's concert was pretty amazing too, but dancing might be her career and she loves Derek; looks up to him so…" She tried not to get a little too discouraged when he didn't say anything, only stared up at her with an unreadable expression on his face for a long while. "I-" she started to say finally, about to retract her statement.

Grabbing her hand, Castle pulled her onto his lap and told her, "Say that again."  
A smile of relief spread across Beckett's lips, and she said, "Our daughter. I think we've thought it for so long it needed to be said. It's official enough for me."

"And me too. And once it's official for Julia I'll be very happy. But for now, I think I'd like to focus on her mother…" Castle said, leaning over and kissing her deeply as she smiled again. He tried to keep his glass of wine from spilling, and was just able to. But when they parted to breathe, he watched in a little surprise as Beckett turned to set her glass down on the ground. When she dipped her thumb into the red liquid, he sucked in a breath of air, knowing what she was doing already.

Beckett bit her lower lip as Castle took her thumb into his mouth, sucking off the wine before he let her pull it out slowly, his lips closed tightly around it. Their previous conversation flew out of her mind, and he kept her from getting to his glass before he dipped his first two fingers into it.

Letting the excess liquid drip back inside with the rest, Castle looked his fiancée over, and pulled down the right strap of her dress, exposing her shoulder. Holding his fingers against her, he watched the wine slide over her creamy skin, before he was there to catch it in his mouth before it could reach the pale blue fabric. He was a little dizzy as he straightened up; doing so by flicking his tongue to the trail of wine he'd left on her. Seeing her expression, he knew she was feeling the same as he was, and he set down his glass momentarily, hoping she wasn't going to stop what he was going to do as he grabbed her zipper.

Feeling and hearing it being pulled down slightly, Beckett decided not to try and stop him, getting a sudden idea to taunt him another way. She kissed him then, as the sudden inspiration made her excited, and she needed an outlet for it; that outlet being him. She felt him pull down the straps of her dress, and she tried to initiate another kiss a little while later when he pulled away, but he didn't let her goad him into one. But she was suddenly compensated, as he was pressing his lips in a path down to her breasts. She held her breath for a second, and suddenly he was taking her right nipple with his mouth, making her arch her back as her hands pressed on the back of his head.

Groaning slightly at that, Castle used his hand to start caressing her other breast, wondering why she wasn't trying to stop him. He decided then not to question it too hard, or he might force her to end up doing so. So instead he switched his hands and mouth, feeling her hands stroking at his hair. Pulling back to breathe heavily as he looked up at her, Castle then ran his hands over both her breasts, making sure she was looking into his eyes instead of at his hands.

"We…" Beckett stammered slightly before she stopped talking. He had pushed her too hard, and she finally got off his lap, standing and pulling him after her as she nearly stalked to the bathroom. She didn't care that her dress was only covering from her waist down, it wasn't that important, as she felt Castle unzipping it the rest of the way with his free hand. That same hand slid underneath the fabric, and she suddenly turned to him in the doorway of the bathroom, kissing him as she wrapped her leg up around him as tightly as she could, their mouths finding each other as they tried to keep together with their groans of pleasure escaping from them easily.

Clothes slipped off them both and piled onto the bathroom floor in rapid succession, their lips never leaving each other for very long. They had to stop as Castle rushed to fill the tub with water, and then hurried back to Beckett as the water ran. He pulled her closer to it so they could get in as soon as it was filled, and ran his hands over her back, feeling her arching against him in response.

Getting inside of the water once the faucet had been turned off, Beckett straddled Castle's lap, and wrapped her arms around him as he held her tightly to him. She hadn't allowed him to enter her; though she knew he was expecting it; and instead kissed him to distract him and keep him from trying to shift enough to move. But he was still trying, and she had to almost clamp her legs on his thighs, holding him in place. She was lucky she had the strength to do that, as he was struggling against her.

Groaning in frustration, when he finally stopped, Castle moved back to look into her eyes and saw that she had planned it, by the small smile on her face. "Any reason why?" he asked.

"I'll find out I'm sure," Beckett said simply. She nearly laughed at the expression on Castle's face at that, and kissed him deeply again, his hands trying to reach in between them.

Castle wasn't too startled when Beckett grabbed his wrists, and managed to get them out from under the water. He was slightly startled when she leaned back enough to shake her hair behind her shoulders, and rest his palms against her breasts. He swore under his breath briefly, and then gathered her up, taking her nipple as he knew had been her plan, her cry of pleasure echoing through the room and in his ears.

Beckett held on to the back of Castle's head, finding then it was hard for her not to move herself and start their love making. But as she could feel Castle moving underneath her again, she clenched her thighs to stop him, when he finally seemed to snap. It was a little bit of a blur, but what she could gather as it was happening, was he picked her physically up and out of the tub, taking her to the sinks, setting her down between them. She had little time to recover, as he was inside of her, slamming into her so hard that if he hadn't grasped her ass she would have slid back against the mirror forcefully. Her short moan when he did that was soon lost, as he pulled her against him, thrusting frantically inside of her. She hurried to join him, wrapping her arms and legs around him and amazed that he could take her where he was.

A little dazed, Castle was kissing at Beckett's neck, shoulders and lips wildly, just trying to calm down from moving so fast. He hadn't expected himself to do that, but she had pushed him too far for him to retain any kind of self control. Pulling away from her lips slowly then, he watched her, moving with him, and his mouth began to water as he stared over what he could see of her body. Leaning down, he started to lightly suck at her neck, being careful not to be too rough. Moving down from that, he went to the hollow of her throat, nipping at the edge with his teeth to her sudden jerk against him. He had an unexpected idea, but it was lost as he leaned down enough to brush his lips against the tops of her breasts.

Guiding him back up to her mouth, Beckett pressed a quick kiss to his lips, and let him take over as he crushed her lips in response. She shivered as his right hand moved around her back; his slightly wrinkled fingers from the water in the tub making her know where he was. But there was the same echo he caused her to feel, and she was soon on fire. She felt a little bad for teasing him as she'd been doing, but knew that if she'd ask him to say stop, he never would. She was startled out of her thoughts when his lips suddenly kissed at her ear, and she tensed up heavily as he whispered to her. Biting her lower lip, her eyes rolled into the back of her head as he told her what exactly he was feeling at that moment. He did that once in a while, but his descriptions never went into vulgarity which she appreciated. But what he was able to think of was enough, and she was trembling as he pulled back, leaning back on her hands as he'd directed.

Reaching down in between them, Castle used his right hand to find the swollen nub between her legs; easy enough to do; and he stroked her carefully, slowly, watching her expression as she was watching his hand. He felt her reaction easily around him, and he groaned out her name before he leaned down enough to kiss her sensuously. His fingers faltered a little, but before he could move them again as they'd been before, her hand was there, moving him. He groaned again, but no words that time, instead he pulled away from their kiss to move to her neck. He nuzzled it with his lips, feeling her pulse racing before he slid across to her shoulder and collarbone. He wasn't surprised when Beckett sat back up to wrap her arms around him, and he was quick to hold her to keep her from sliding back on the countertop. He'd sped up at some point; guessing it was when he'd moved his hand from between them but he wasn't sure about that; and used his free hand to that time reach for her breasts.

Her breath coming out in a hard gasp, Beckett pulled back enough to look down at him and watch him, breathing roughly as he was caressing each mound. The heat her body was creating in reaction to his touch was getting to be more than she could handle, but she tried to hold on, wanting him to be with her before she lost control. She reached down with her own hand, and stroked his chest carefully, feeling his skin shudder in reaction to that. She made him stop, nearly making her yell in her frustration, but leaned back quickly as she led him down to her breasts again. She could tell from the look in his eyes that he was remembering earlier, and she tried to tell him she wasn't leading him on; it was to help him gain more pleasure, but before she could say a word, he was taking her left nipple into his mouth.

Trying to give her enough attention there, Castle finally pulled away, and started to take her again, that time not trying to control himself, just letting himself take what he wanted; which was her as she responded to him easily. He held her tightly to him; so much so he was a little surprised they couldn't actually meld into one another. Almost all of a sudden, they were yelling each other's names; voices tinged with ecstasy; as they reached their peak at nearly the same time. He tried not to collapse against her, exhausted as he'd been standing that whole time. But he was able to stay up even after they'd eventually calmed down, shuddering a little as she was still holding him against her tightly. "So…" he began before taking a deep breath. "This is how you're a dominatrix."

"I think so," Beckett said. "But I wasn't expecting you to just toss me on here."

"I did not," Castle protested, though he knew he had pretty much done that. "That's what happens when you torture me."

"You know I'm torturing myself at the same time," Beckett said quickly.

Castle didn't reply to that, instead helping her down and letting her walk ahead of him to the bed. He lay next to her before he finally spoke saying, "I know, but I do the same thing when I just stop. But you did it yourself again."

"It was necessary," Beckett replied simply. They were quiet then, for a while, and she smiled a little when his hand started to stroke her abdomen. "If you want to go higher you can," she told him. When he looked at her she asked, "What's with that look? You know I can tell what you're trying to do. And I'm pretty sure I know what will work."

"And I think I know what will work too," Castle said, scooting over closer to her. "I've spent a lot of time making a study of your body and I believe I am…"

"An expert?" Beckett asked, one eyebrow raised. "I'd like to see you prove that," she said, rolling her eyes slightly as he looked a little sheepish at what she'd said.

"Great, I was waiting for permission," Castle said before he moved to put his hands on either side of her body. When she looked up at him with a quick expression on her face he said, "Don't want me to show you? Afraid I'm going to prove you wrong?"

Though she knew he was saying that to deliberately goad her, Beckett merely said, "Go ahead and try."

Castle had to fight back a smile at winning that little disagreement; though he wasn't sure if she was being serious or not; and he quickly turned his attention to her, lowering his head to hers. He kissed her, wanting to start out deliberately slowly, to throw her off. He couldn't stop that kiss from becoming more and more passionate though, and it slid into more than just one as they couldn't pull apart long enough for him to do something else. Finally though, he broke away and slid over her jaw before heading down to her neck.

A little surprised when he seemed to zoom over that, Beckett looked on as Castle sat up and took her right hand in his. Her breath caught a little as he started to kiss her fingertips. They were very simple, quick kisses, but it was enough to send a rough spark through her. She wondered what exactly he was trying to prove; since they both knew already that he could easily find where to make her the most aroused. But she didn't want him to stop, as he kissed around her wrist. It was there she had to agree with what she had finished saying for him; he was an expert with her body as no other man she'd been with had ever bothered to discover that, just him. He was brushing very light, gentle kisses against the sensitive skin there, and she squeezed her legs together tightly as she didn't want to snap as he'd done in the tub; for some reason craving something a little more gentle than before.

Aware already of what she felt when she was kissed on her wrist, Castle took Beckett's other hand, kissing that wrist before he pulled away slowly. He then moved back down to her body, but that time he went in a straight path from the hollow of her throat to the apex of her legs. He kissed his way down, but kept it slow and careful, knowing that drove her crazy when she was already aroused. He wasn't too surprised when she parted her legs, but he moved instead back up to her, kissing her on the lips.

Breaking off the kiss before much time had passed, Beckett said; almost angrily; "Okay, you win, just… please," not caring she ended up sounding like she was begging at the end of that. She grabbed Castle's hand and brought it between her legs, making him feel what he'd done to her. She prepared herself a little, thinking he would finally move to make love to her, when instead he slid his fingers along her slick skin; doing so exactly as she liked it. "Oh… _Castle_ ," she moaned heavily as his fingertips slipped to her higher, stroking tenderly.

Feeling like he'd done enough, Castle moved to hover over her body, and lowered himself into her, going slowly, deliberately until finally their hips met. He ended the gasp that he'd shot out against her shoulder as he bowed his head; he'd aroused her so much he was almost sliding through ice though far, far warmer. He kissed her hard, and began to move; going slower than his mouth as he wanted things a little more deliberate than their time in the bathroom had been; not realizing it was what she wanted too. He only hoped, as they were soon matching one another's rhythm, that he hadn't pushed her so far she would barely last and he pulled back to look at her to make sure he hadn't.

Breathing a little hard already, Beckett tried to take what he was giving her, but she found it a little difficult, though things were not as fast and rough as before. She bit her lower lip as she watched him kissing his way up to her shoulder, and she stroked his hair as he leaned down to take her lips. She wrapped one of her legs around his waist as tightly as possible, and the other clung around his legs. She could feel him sinking inside of her deeper with that, and broke off the kiss, crying out a little as she could feel she was close already. She realized then what he was doing, trying to distract her as she'd done before. "I… I bet you love that you need to do this to… to me now," she gasped out when he slowed down so much she almost thought he'd stopped.

"No, but, if you don't want me to do, to do that," Castle breathed to her, at her ear. He kissed the lobe gently before nibbling on it slightly and she was clutching at him, her nails sinking into his shoulders for a moment. He pulled away then to be safe, and he kissed her again. He contented himself with just doing that and making love with her, and guessed she was fine with it as well; she never tried to make him do something else. He was a little unsure of how much time had passed but when he slowed down to nearly stopping again; he heard the sound of rain against the windows of their suite, wondering when that had happened. But she pulled him down to her lips again, and everything that wasn't dealing with her flew out the window into the rain.

Arching her neck as Castle's fingertips brushed against her stomach in between them after they had parted from their kiss, Beckett looked on as he began to stroke at her skin. She knew that was for her to see; since she couldn't see further past the mound that was the apex of her legs; so she would know what he'd be doing to her shortly. She breathed out hard as she soon felt his fingers on her again, but that time he was careful, and she pressed her head on the pillow she'd managed to lie down on. She started to lose their rhythm they had, and felt him quickly reach from between them to her hip, trying to guide her. She shook her head, reaching from his shoulder to his hand, pushing it away to stop him. "I can't…" she started to say, writhing on the bed literally. She managed to moan out, "I love you Castle," before she felt something inside of her finally snapping, and she arched her back as hard as she could. The waves of pleasure felt more like flames, licking at every inch of her, until she thought she would pass out. But she managed to keep from doing that as she suddenly felt Castle moving against her erratically, and she held him against her body, relieved that he was joining her very quickly.

Breathing roughly once he'd managed to stop moving, Castle moved his head from her shoulder to her lips where he kissed her. He then pulled back saying, "I love you too Kate."

"You didn't get a chance to say that," Beckett told him teasingly. She then saw he was looking at her expectantly, and she finally sighed out in frustration saying, "Okay, okay, you _were_ right. Which I don't mind because that was pretty amazing."

"Thank you," Castle said before he moved to lie next to her. Before he settled down though, he noticed the lights and got up to turn them off. He was about to flip the switch at the doorway when he heard rustling on the bed and looked over at Beckett. "What?" he asked, seeing her looking a little concerned.

Having been a little panicked seeing him going for the lights, Beckett then became concerned before she finally smiled. She could see Castle looked a little confused, and she merely beckoned him with her finger, not surprised when he rushed over to her. She met his lips with hers as they kissed hard, lips crushed together.

Castle pulled away once they needed to breathe and stared into her eyes for a long moment as if to make sure it was what she wanted; even as she was beginning to stroke him. Finally he kissed her again, reassuring himself she wouldn't touch him that intimately if she didn't want to.

The rain, their sightseeing the next day; everything was gone from their minds except for one another as they kissed passionately, sensuously. Their hands were all over each other, and it took little time before they moved. Their lips never parted and their bodies were in perfect unison as they sank willingly down to the already tousled crisp, white sheets, desire rising with each second it took to reach the bed and when they were entwined once more.


	13. When It Rains And Shines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Rain by The Beatles, on their album Past Masters Volume 2.

"Good morning you two," Castle said as he and Beckett walked into the suite. "Ready to go?"

"We have to wait for Martha," Julia said, running up to her mother and hugging her tightly around the neck. "I missed you Mommy."

"I missed you too sweetie, but it was only for a night," Beckett said, kissing her daughter's cheek before she handed her over to Castle.

"Did you already eat?" Alexis asked as they went to the table. "I ordered for us already."

"It's okay, we ate in our room," Castle said. "Have you heard from your gram?"

"Yeah, she left at about eight, so she should be getting here soon," Alexis answered. "She-" she started to say when there was a knock at the door.

"Is here it looks like," Beckett said with a smile as Castle hurried to open the door.

"Welcome back Mother," Castle said as he saw it was her. "How was it?"

"Oh, simply wonderful, that area is amazing," Martha said, stepping inside and sharing a hug with her son. "And the wine is something else when you're having it right at the vineyard. Hello darling," she said as Alexis stepped up to her, hugging her tightly. "And Julia," she said with a smile as she could feel the little girl hugging her around Alexis.

"I missed you Martha," Julia said seriously, looking up at her.

"And I did too, all of you," Martha replied. "Tell me quickly before we go," she said as Castle took her suitcase into her room for her. "How were the past few days?"

"Fun!" Julia said eagerly. "Last night we got to meet Derek!"

"Derek, as in the dancer, as in Derek Hough?" Martha asked.

"It was a surprise your son set up," Beckett said with a smile. "And was pretty amazing."

"Julia and I both got autographs from him. And he showed Julia some steps too," Alexis said doing something with her phone as she was talking.

"And you took your picture with him too," Martha said as she saw the picture there. "How adorable. I can imagine she was ecstatic," she said to Castle as he walked to them then. "And what steps did he teach you?"

"The Foxtrot," Julia answered quickly. "It was a box step," she said as she demonstrated the steps. "It was fun."

"Alright, so now we're all here," Castle said. "Should we head out?"

"Yes, because we don't exactly have that much time before your birthday dinner Dad," Alexis said.

"Is this another surprise? You guys aren't saying where we're going," Castle said. "I know she isn't," he gestured towards his fiancée with his head. "And I asked her all morning."

"He's not kidding," Beckett said, rolling her eyes in mock annoyance. "But we should go."

Castle didn't say anything; though again no one had asked where he wanted to go or told him where they were going to have a family birthday dinner; he merely closed the door as he was last out of the suite, following the others to the elevators. "At least tell me today isn't like yesterday was," he said as they were going down to the lobby. "Surprise after surprise."

"No," Alexis said. "First we're heading to Ghirardelli Square; though you guys can go wherever you want to if you don't want to go there again. Then to the rest of Fisherman's Wharf for lunch and walking around-"

"Are we gonna see the sea lions again?" Julia asked happily as they stepped out of the car.

"We are," Beckett assured her. "After that we're heading to Oakland, the museum, but how?"

"The BART again, there's a stop a block away. And with that museum you'll get some history of the state and you'll see a little bit of Oakland," Alexis said.

"Is it in an okay area?" Castle asked.

"Where the museum is; the city isn't all bad Dad, it'd be like people here assuming NYC is nothing but crime every step you take," Alexis said.

"I know, but I'm worrying about you guys," Castle commented before they could leave the hotel. "Not you Kate, but the others, yes," he said quickly when she turned and gave him a look.

"We'll be fine Richard, don't spoil our trip with your mothering," Martha said, waving her hand. "And that gives me a chance to ask how are we heading up to Fisherman's Wharf?"

"Actually we're going to take the Powell-Hyde line, which is the one closest to Ghirardelli Square," Alexis explained as they walked down Powell to the turntable. "And I didn't get to finish but we'll head back here to the hotel to get the car and I'll take you to Muir Woods."

"The big trees?" Julia asked. "Ooh, I saw a picture in the book," she told Martha whose hand she was holding. "And it was really pretty but it was a small picture. Can I go with Castle?"

"Go ahead darling," Martha said, watching as Julia hurried to him while they were waiting for the light to change. She was surprised to see her go easily on his shoulders, and made a note to ask her granddaughter what had happened while she was gone, since she could tell a lot had changed since then already.

At the turntable, Alexis helped them get on the right line, and they sat at the front of the cable car, though she and her father stood on the sideboard in front of Beckett, Julia and Martha. "We'll be able to see Lombard Street on this side," she told them.

"We drove down that," Julia told Martha seriously. "And it went like this," she then motioned with her hand.

"Who drove the car?" she asked, looking at her son and Alexis.

"None of us," Beckett said with a smile. "Diana did. Did they tell you about her aunt?"

"They did, and I'm so happy to hear this reunion was… so happy," Martha said, reaching around Julia to touch Beckett's shoulder.

"Me too," Beckett replied. "I couldn't believe it though, since I never thought May would work in the movies." She looked at Castle and said, "I know I said that already, but I'm serious."

"I can tell," Castle said, squeezing her knee.

"And how was your night out you two had?" Martha asked, watching them.

"We went to the mall alone together when my mommy and Castle went to eat and dance," Julia said before they could answer. "It was fun and then we watched music and dancing in our room."

"And our night was nice," Beckett said simply, glancing at Castle who looked over his shoulder. She wanted to comment on that, but the cable car stopped at the top of Lombard Street, and they looked together down the hill before they started again. At the end of the line she picked up Julia and said, "I'm thinking about taking Julia to the arcade again," to the others. "And we'll meet you at Boudin?"

Castle was a little torn when his mother suddenly spoke saying, "I think you should go with them Richard, you've had the chance to spend time with Alexis on your own while I have not. Go and keep Kate and Julia company."

"We'll see you guys at lunch," Castle said, squeezing his mother's arm in thanks. He hurried to catch up to Beckett, smiling when Julia giggled before holding her arms out to him. Taking her, he swung the little girl up on his shoulders, squeezing her leg gently.

"Is it just me or did they become a little closer?" Martha asked her granddaughter as they walked to Ghirardelli Square.

"They did," Alexis said. "Starting with her letting him carry her on his shoulders; that was at the zoo and to see a giraffe that was near us. Then, apparently yesterday while they were in the rainforest exhibit at the Academy of Sciences she kissed him on the lips. Remember like I used to kiss Dad? A quick peck on the lips?"

"I remember, you kissed both of us like that," Martha said. "That wasn't just once though was it?"

"Oh no, Julia woke up this morning and ran out to where I was taking some pictures of the view since I haven't done that yet," Alexis said. "And apologized about kissing him in thanks for meeting Derek, she apparently kissed him on the lips a few times. She thought only I should do that since he's my dad."

"I hope you assured her it was alright, and that he's going to be her father too," Martha said.

"Oh of course, so I think she's okay now," Alexis said. "But I'm just glad that she's getting closer to him."

"So am I," Martha agreed before they went into one of the boutiques together, Alexis leading the way.

* * *

Inside the Boudin Bakery, Julia was standing with Alexis, watching the baskets of bread going by on a conveyor belt above them. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see it was Martha. "See the breads? They are really good and they make them special here," she said eagerly.

"I see, your mother suggested we get a table," Martha said, taking Julia's hand. "And that you two know which one to get."

"Oh, we do, it's this way," Julia said eagerly, taking Martha's hand and pulling her to the door that led out to the seating area. She waved at her mother and Castle who were in line, disappearing outside before she could see them return her wave.

"So tonight," Castle said after he and Beckett had ordered and were waiting for their food.

"Again, I know we're kind of torturing you with this," she said quickly and reassuringly to him. "But really, there's a reason behind it and you'll find out why once we get there."

"I can't convince you to tell me can I?" Castle asked. He sighed when Beckett shook her head and after they were quiet for a little said, "It's going to be good."

"That's the idea," Beckett said simply before their number was called. She glanced back at him, smiling at his slightly startled expression; her tone having been a little firm; and she went to grab one of the trays with their food as he followed her.

"And there was a big dome with trees and plants and pretty flowers," Julia was saying as Castle and Beckett approached the table. "And butterflies that flew all over and one went on Castle's arm and I got it on my hand."

"That sounds very fun," Martha said. "I take it you enjoyed this place as well?"

"Definitely," Castle said as they sat down after passing out the trays of bread bowls. "And the aquarium was nice too, the African Hall… living roof. All of it was great to get to see. Are you going to head back before you come home?" he then directed to Alexis.

"Most likely," the young woman said with a smile as they began eating. "What do you think Gram?" she asked as they all saw Martha trying the bread dipped in the clam chowder after Julia had told her to eat it that way first.

"Very nice, and distinctive, I don't think I've had sourdough like that back at home. I can see why you don't mind coming back," Martha said with a nod. "Now, Julia, you saw some penguins I heard, at the zoo right in front of you."

Nodding; as she was chewing some bread then; Julia then said, "Yeah, and they were swimming and cute. And there were lots of animals, I went with Castle and we saw… what were their names?"

"Meerkats, we stayed by those for a long time," he commented. "She was pretty enthralled by them, especially the one on the rock in front of us. Tell her about the peacock."

Beckett smiled as her daughter then told Castle's mother about the bird they'd seen walking through the zoo. She brushed some of Julia's hair back on her head and tried her best to get her to eat as they went through their meal. Finally she managed to get her daughter to take care of most of her bread bowl, and they were soon heading down the sidewalk on Jefferson towards Pier 39.

"Look," Julia said, taking Martha's hand and going to the large window that looked in on the bakery that was part of the Boudin building. "See the shapes? An alligator, and a teddy bear, it's bread!"

"I see, how could you eat that though? It's too cute," Martha said, leaning down and kissing Julia's temple, unable to help it at the little girl's sincerity as she spoke.

"So, we're not worried about their relationship are we?" Castle asked as he and Beckett walked hand in hand together once they'd left the bakery.

"I never really was in the first place," she said simply. "But I know-" she started to say before she slipped her hand into Castle's arm, wrapping it around his upper arm since it was getting crowded. "I know Alexis told you about what we talked about. I needed to make sure she wasn't seeing me as taking you away from her by using Julia."

"I had to find out she didn't think that either," Castle said, nodding. "Really lucky she loves Julia though."

"Really," Beckett echoed as they were back walking by the ice cream stand. She smiled as Julia ran through the pigeons, going to the flowers blooming and pointing them out to Martha. "Sweetie," she called as they reached them. "Walk with us okay?" she asked as she held her free hand out.

"Can you carry me?" Julia asked, rubbing her red cheeks.

"Of course, I hope we'll be able to head to the woods," he told Beckett as he picked the little girl up before his fiancée wrapped her hand around his upper arm again.

"I know," Beckett said with a sigh, glancing up at the clouds that were starting to cover the blue sky. "We've been lucky so far with it raining at night, just a little longer."

Julia was listening to them, and she suddenly got her camera, taking pictures of the sky as they walked down the pier. Getting to the sea lions, she looked for Martha and pointed to the animals saying, "See them? Can you see?" her voice a little high pitched in excitement.

"Don't worry, I can," Martha assured her. "And they are adorable, I wasn't expecting so many."

"The numbers fluctuate," Alexis said. "When I first came with Diana, there were a lot less."

"Then they came just for you Julia," Castle said, smiling when the little girl blushed and shook her head. "Why not?"

"'Cause they don't know me," Julia said with a smile.

"Still, I think they knew you were coming," Castle said as Julia giggled and shook her head again.

"Why are those two fighting?" Martha asked as they heard the loud honking of two of the animals on one dock, trying to push each other off it.

"They're all boys Alexis said," Julia replied in a matter of fact tone of voice. "They're saying where they lay down is theirs."

"That would make sense," Martha said with a nod. "I thought they were fighting over a girl to be honest."

"Would Castle do that for my mommy?" Julia asked then though she was still being held by him.

"I believe he would," Martha said with a nod as Alexis next to her leaned over and smiled brightly at her dad and Beckett who were looking slightly embarrassed.

"Wonderful when people talk about you like you're not even there," Castle said. "And a little weird since I'm holding one of them."

"A little," Beckett said, having leaned against him slightly as she laughed.

"She's right you know," Castle said suddenly after they were quiet as Julia was taking pictures.

"You'd shove another guy off a floating dock to claim me as your mate?" Beckett asked.

Wincing slightly at how she'd worded that, Castle then said, "Not exactly, but if it came to it, I wouldn't hesitate to fight… for you."

"Are you trying to ask for…" Beckett started to say as she looked at Julia who was still watching the sea lions. "Something later?" she finished with.

"No, but hey, if you thought that was sweet to say, I leave the decision up to you," Castle said, holding up his free hand before he laughed when she punched his shoulder. "Why don't we keep going?" he then said to his mother and daughter. "There are a number of stores around the corner, and we've got a lot more to see."

"Yeah, there's a carousel and it's got an upstairs and a downstairs," Julia said eagerly as Castle set her down then. She ran to Martha and took her hand, telling her about the candy and chocolate stores she'd been in the last time she was there. When they came around and started walking in between the stores, she asked her mother, "Can I go on the carousel again?"

"Sure, Mother, Alexis, if you want to head off you can, to shop," Castle said. "Did you want to shop at all?" he asked Beckett.

"I'm good; I think I got everything I wanted here. Are we going along Jefferson on the south side?" Beckett asked them all.

"I'd like to show Gram the shops there," Alexis replied.

"Okay, then we'll see you in a little bit," Castle said. "I'll buy your ticket this time," he told Julia before looking at his fiancée. "Want to go on with her?"

"Yes, but I'm not riding a horse," Beckett replied with a smile.

"Then I'll be buying three tickets," Castle stated before they walked to the line.

"Are you gonna go on a horsie?" Julia asked him.

"I don't think I really can. I'm a little too tall for them," Castle said, looking down at his legs. "But you can go on one so it works out," he said as they were let on the ride. He stood next to Beckett on the top of the carousel, and looking at the view as they started to go around said, "You weren't kidding the other day, it's gorgeous."

"I told you," Beckett said with a smile. She looked at Julia then and saw her daughter was kicking the sides of the horse as if it were real.

"She'll be a great horsewoman," Castle said. "I want to buy her a horse you know, badly."

Waiting for a loud reaction from Julia after hearing that, Beckett was surprised when her daughter merely smiled. "Well, maybe when she's older," she finally said. "But for now," she began as the ride slowed down finally. "We'll head to the pier and get back to the trolley."

Walking behind Beckett and Julia as they went to the entrance, Castle looked around and saw his mother and Alexis standing at the window of a jewelry store. "Hey," he called to them. "Are we continuing on?" he asked when they turned to him.

"We are," Martha said. "Julia, I have to show you the earrings I bought for myself, I think you'll agree with me that they are stunning," she said as she took out a small jewelry box from a bag she held.

As they went back to Jefferson Street, Beckett was with Castle again as they walked behind the three, and she called up to Alexis, "What about crossing there at that art gallery this time?"

"Oh, right, we didn't go that way last time," the young woman explained to her grandmother. "Because I wanted Julia to see them making the sourdough in the window she showed you earlier. But there are more stores that way, so I agree."

Once they'd crossed, Castle and Beckett walked ahead of the others that time, as the three went into the art gallery that was on the very corner of Jefferson and Powell. As they passed one store, he stopped his fiancée when he saw the window display and nodded at what was inside.

"Where's Julia?" Beckett asked with a smile. "We might want keep her from seeing that."

"Oh no, we want her to," Castle said, waving the three up to them.

Looking up at him a little suspiciously, Beckett turned to see Julia running to them. "Look sweetie," she told her daughter, pointing through the window.

Her mouth dropping open in shock, Julia pressed up close to the glass and whispered, "What dance are they doing?"

"Let's go inside and see if it has a name," Castle said, taking her hand. He glanced back at Beckett, seeing she shook her head slightly at him, but she didn't look to be angry. He felt a sense of relief at that; since it meant she knew what he was partially planning on doing, but didn't have any problem with it. Inside the store he talked with one of the employees, and told Julia, "It's called Elegant Foxtrot." He smiled when he saw her mouth drop open again and asked, "Like it?"

"Oh, it's beautiful, and they're dancing just like a Foxtrot!" Julia breathed.

"Then I'll get it for you," Castle said, nodding to the employee who picked up the figurine and took it towards the back of the store.

"Why… you're buying it for me?" Julia asked, looking up at Castle.

"Yep, and this is because I want you to have a Lladro of your own," he told her seriously. "You know your grandfather gave one to your grandmother, so now I'd like to continue that tradition."

"Giving a Lladro to the Beckett girls?" Beckett asked with a slight smile.

"And woman," Castle said gesturing for her to come over to where he was standing. Before she could do that though, he felt Julia's arms wrap around him tightly and he picked her up carefully, hearing her whispering the words thank you over and over again. He kissed her cheek and said, "You're very welcome, that'll look great in your room, with a picture of you and Derek doing the box step I took a picture of with my phone last night." He laughed slightly when she kissed him on the lips and he was quick to kiss her back at the same time before he asked, "Want me to put you down?"

"Not yet," Julia said, sounding eager.

"Okay, so, Kate," Castle said to Beckett who'd been waiting by them. "Any arguments with this one?" he nodded to the figurine they were next to.

"I don't think so," Beckett said, a little startled at the Lladro he'd seen. It was of a woman on a horse, in uniform and performing a dressage step. "That brings back a lot of memories," she finally said. "I never liked those gloves either, did I mention that?"

"I can understand why you might unless it was cold," Castle said, setting down Julia then at her insistence. "So-"

"Honestly you don't need to Castle but… thank you," Beckett said, tugging on the lapels of his coat and bringing him down close enough to kiss him. She had to pull away quickly as the employee came back to them, but she hoped the look in her eyes might give him some hint that she was thankful, and that she definitely owed him as he directed the employee to take the Lladro; that one she asked and was told was called simply Dressage.

"I'm so glad to see she's not scared to kiss you Dad," Alexis said as she was walking with him when they continued down Jefferson, the Lladros set to ship back to New York.

"She talked to you about that didn't she?" Castle asked.

"She was worried I'd be mad, but I talked to her and I'm so happy it worked," Alexis said, pretending to stagger in relief.

"You'll be a great psychologist, you talk really well with kids," Castle said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Especially Julia."

"Of course," Alexis said. "I'm sorry I won't be there for your actual birthday," she said apologetically.

"Oh don't worry, there'll be a cake tonight I hope, and gifts which I shouldn't have to say should be there without me asking," Castle commented. "And you'll be there, so the thirty-first will just be a little… dinner likely with Beckett, Julia and your gram. Tonight's my real birthday celebration. By the way, did you want a Lladro?"

"I didn't see any I liked," Alexis said with a smile. "You want to include me and Gram now?"

"Why not?" Castle said with a shrug. "No, I'm kidding, but if you guys happen to check out their site and see any you like, I wouldn't hesitate to get them for you."

"I'll let you know," Alexis said with a laugh then as she went into the store the other three had gone into.

"Hey," Castle said as Beckett walked out to where he was standing at the entrance. "Tired of these stores?"

"I've already seen everything so I hope you don't mind if I keep you company," Beckett said.

"Of course not," Castle said, wrapping his arm around her then as they looked out onto the street. He glanced at the blue and white old fashioned looking streetcar commenting to her, "Did you notice those at all last time we were here?"

"I did, they're from other cities," Beckett said. "Well, some of them, there are signs in the windows," she said to his confused expression.

"Hold on," Castle said, letting go of her to get his phone out. He searched, and saw that she was right. "Different cities like St. Louis, Milan, LA, Chicago, a bunch of other cities around the world… that one is the one from Washington DC actually," he said, looking at the pictures on the web page. He took a picture before he felt Julia tugging on his coat pocket. "Get anything?" he asked as she begged her mother to pick her up.

"No, but Alexis got a shirt this time," Julia said, pressing her cheek to Beckett's.

"I think she needs a nap," Martha said as she came out with Alexis.

"My legs are tired," Julia protested.

"Then up you go," Castle said, taking her from Beckett and setting her on his shoulders. He wasn't too surprised when she leaned her head on his, and he patted her leg as he followed the others down the street. The slump of her body let him know; as he watched his mother and daughter walk into another store together; that Julia had fallen asleep. "So I guess she was tired," he commented to Beckett who was with him.

"Of course, she was up pretty late last night," she said. "If you want me to take her at all-"

"No, no, she's fine where she is," Caste said with a smile. "I get the feeling she won't be asleep for too long anyways."

Beckett nodded, and reached up, rubbing her daughter's leg before she cupped Castle's cheek, squeezing it gently before they looked out at the street again, watching the people and streetcars passing by.

* * *

"How much do you want to go through this?" Castle was asking his daughter as they walked into the Oakland Museum of California's art section.

"I need to get something for my history class," Alexis said, looking at the map she'd gotten. "So I need to focus there, and as for everything else…" She trailed off then, looking at her watch before she continued with, "I think we can take three hours here."

"Sounds good to me," Beckett said, nodding since the young woman was looking at her. "So let's get started."

"What is it that you need for your class?" Martha asked as they went to a wall with some photographs and watched Julia looking at them intently.

"Well, there's one thing in this section I kind of wanted to try and use for my paper," Alexis said. "But I would have to get permission from my professor, so if not that, then I want to use something that's in the book on this place."

Castle took the book which Alexis was holding, flipping through the pages before he looked at the two page spread on the museum. "The wagon?" he asked.

"Yeah, because I was thinking of looking at a family from New York going all the way out here to California in the 1800s," Alexis said. "But I'd focus more on their life here around San Francisco than the trip of course. But I was thinking about…"

"Comparing yourself to that family," Beckett finished for her.

"And the difference between New York and San Francisco," Castle then added. "I think it's a great idea."

"Me too, that will be quite a paper, I think you should try that one better," Martha said. "But what was it you wanted to use here in the art gallery?"

"Hold on," Alexis said quickly before she went over to a guard and talked to him quickly. "Okay, it's this way," she said to the others, motioning to a room.

"The sculpture?" Castle asked as they reached the solitary figure in the room, the sculpture of a young woman nude from the waist up holding a poppy in her hair.

"Yeah, it's an interesting story but…" Alexis began, glancing down at Julia.

"You can look at the pictures sweetie," Becket told her daughter, seeing the wall with portraits near them. Once she was sure Julia was okay there, she glanced back at Alexis who began to speak.

"The woman who was the model for this sculpture ended up having a stalker who shot her and then himself," Alexis said, looking over at Julia too then. "I was thinking about writing about the time period and a kind of psychological connection to it, but… I think I prefer the idea for that wagon."

"Then let's go through this section so we can see it in time," Martha said. "We'll head off, you two take your time with Julia, and we'll meet in the lower level."

"I guess our plans are set," Beckett said with a slight smile as Castle's mother took her granddaughter by the arm, and they walked off together. "What do you think?"

"It's okay," Julia said as she'd walked up to them. "But I like the paintings at home better."

"Still, that one of Yosemite we saw on the way here wasn't too bad," Castle commented. "Come on, I think you'll want to see the other sections a little more."

"Should we just go straight there?" Beckett asked.

"If you want to go with my mom-" Castle started to say.

"Let's go," Beckett said simply, cutting him off. She smiled when he took Julia's hand, and Julia took hers before they headed down to the history section. When they had reached a room with different items from the Native American tribes in the state, they both let go of the little girl's hand and watched her staring at a case with different baskets in it. She glanced around before saying, "Alexis actually could write a paper on anything here."

"That's true, I take it you're remembering your history class?" Castle asked.

"I am, but it doesn't surprise me she's choosing the time period that she did," Beckett mused. "I have to wonder if she's taking from before or after the Gold Rush."

"If I know her… more than likely after, and I bet it won't have to do with the Gold Rush. Since writing about such a well known time period would be-" Castle started to say.

"Too easy," he and Beckett said together.

"Exactly," Castle said as they followed Julia through the room, watching her take pictures. He read a plaque for her, about some tiny artifacts and then stood back with her mother until Julia led them to a section on the Spanish coming into the state.

"What does that say Mommy?" Julia asked as they were at a display of an old cart and statue of a man that was completely white.

" _Los Ranchos_ ," Beckett said. "Which means the ranches in Spanish basically. That's what they had here, mainly horse ranches, but also cattle and that's why they have the painting of the man on the horse. That's all they had back then."

"Yeah, that's what they said in school, that a long time ago, before you were born, and you too," Julia said to Castle as he walked over to them. "That you just had horsies and you rode… I wish I had just a horsie, no cars."

"That would be interesting, but I don't really think you could do it back at home," Castle replied, playfully tugging a strand of her hair to her giggle.

"Let's keep going," Beckett said. "I think next is the Gold Rush."

"And there's Alexis and my mom," Castle said when they went into the section and saw the giant wagon that they'd talked about earlier.

"So what do you think?" the young woman asked.

"I think it'll make a great paper," Beckett said, smiling as Julia took a picture of the wagon. "You could put in a lot of historical facts if that's what's supposed to be in your paper."

"It is, basically it's how California was shaped in its history, I guess I'm taking the Manifest Destiny part of it," Alexis said, nodding. "How have you liked the rest of the museum?"

"I liked the baskets," Julia said. "They were very pretty and had nice patterns."

"They do," Martha said. "And I'm sure you liked that painting in that room of the horse."

"Are we continuing on together?" Castle asked after Alexis had taken shots of the wagon with her phone from different angles.

"I think we should," Martha said. "Julia, come walk with us, we'll lead the way."

"Kay," Julia said happily, hurrying to Martha and Alexis. She took their hands, and they walked together through the items on display.

"I'm actually looking forward to these woods," Castle said as he and Beckett followed.

"I know, and I am too because I'd love to see where I used to go when I first came out to the state," Beckett said. "I didn't go that often, but it was enough for me to appreciate where I was and not just run for the nearest airport."

"Interesting, I'm more eager now," Castle said. He smiled as Beckett shook her head, but they walked on after their family, and looked at the display Julia was pointing out excitedly; going up to her so they could read the plaque that was next to a large old fashioned fire engine gleaming in the museum's lights.

* * *

"This is pretty amazing," Castle was saying as he followed Alexis into the Muir Woods.

"I told you," his daughter said with a smile. "And it's amazing, Muir Beach is close by, you just follow the road and it takes you there. I'm looking forward to swimming there once it warms up."

"For now this is okay," Castle said, glancing at his fiancée who was behind them, looking around. "Take Julia for me?" he asked, holding out the little girl's hand.

Before Alexis could take her hand, Julia ran off, giggling as she did so, wanting to see more of the trees that seemed impossibly high, wanting to take as many pictures as she could.

"I'll get her," Alexis told her dad before she hurried off after the little girl.

Turning to where Beckett had been standing, Castle was startled when he saw she was gone, and he walked over to the point she'd been, seeing her leaning against a tree. "Okay?" he asked, going up to her.

"Mmm-hmm, just thinking," Beckett said, looking up at him. "Remembering really."

"You never thought you'd be back here did you?" Castle said.

"No, and definitely not the way I am now," Beckett said with a smile. "With a daughter, and fiancé and also my fiancé's daughter. Never expected that."

"Life can surprise you," Castle said simply, looking at the branches far above them. They were both silent then, and he could hear the calls of the birds, and the water in the creek they were close to. "I can see why you liked coming here. It's a place to center yourself, your emotions."

"Never did yoga here," Beckett said as she watched him, putting her hands in her pockets.

"That's the great thing, you don't really need to in a place like this," Castle said, looking back at her. "Can I ask you something?" he asked as he walked back to her.

"Shoot, but it depends on the question if I end up answering," Beckett said, watching him.

"You only came here with May right?" Castle said. When she nodded he stepped closer to her and said, "Never with anyone else?" When she gave him a look he then said, "Never a past boyfriend."

Beckett broke out into a smile at that, knowing why he wanted to know then, and she simply said, "No." She was a little surprised when he took her chin with his fingers, but forgot her reaction when he leaned down, kissing her deeply. She took her hands out of her pockets quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck as he pulled her to him. His arms were around her back, and she parted her lips to the quick touch of his tongue before they broke apart to breathe. Looking at each other, she closed the gap between them, and held onto him much more tightly as that kiss seemed to be a lot more intense.

Walking through the trees, Alexis caught sight of her dad and Beckett first, and she stopped Julia, ushering her over to the creek to take a look at it and give the two some time alone. She was slightly startled when the little girl; after taking a few pictures of the rushing water; asked her something.

"Is it bad they do that? Kiss?" Julia asked. When Alexis looked at her in shock she smiled and said, "You didn't want me to see."

"No, it's not, just, it's something private, they don't need an audience for it," Alexis answered quickly. "But you like the trees right?" she asked when Julia nodded at her reply.

"Yeah, they're very tall and very pretty, and they smell nice too," Julia said, taking out a piece of bark she'd found on the ground from her pocket.

"Definitely, okay, so why don't we get them and see if we can maybe go to the beach so you can check it out?" Alexis said. "You didn't get to see the beaches here."

"Oh, oh yes please I wanna get a shell from California," Julia said eagerly as she took Alexis' hand.

By then Castle and Beckett were walking hand in hand in the same direction their daughters had been going, so it took them aback when they saw the two coming from their right.

"The beach?" Beckett commented when Julia had asked her excitedly. She glanced up at the cloudy sky and then nodded saying, "We have enough time, but we can't stay too long sweetie, we have to get ready for dinner a little early."

"Kay, I just wanna find a pretty shell," Julia said, taking her mother's hand before Castle picked her up. "I can walk," she protested slightly.

"I know, but it's a little muddy, so I want to make sure you don't get stuck," he explained, relieved she took that explanation. He followed Alexis and Beckett, watching Julia looking around them and above them; though mostly up at the tall trees. "You like them?" he asked.

"Yeah, they're pretty," Julia said. "Mommy, I got a piece on the ground," she said suddenly.

"Some bark?" Beckett asked, turning back to them. "I did that my first time here. No idea where that piece ended up though, but maybe we can put your piece in a bowl."

"With some shells?" Julia asked eagerly.

"With some shells," Beckett conceded, though she knew it would take a little more time to find them. They were soon reaching the road where Alexis had parked their car, and she settled Julia in the back before sitting with her. "I always forget the beach and woods aren't next to each other," she commented as they were driving.

"Luckily it's just a short drive, but it is worth having to go back in the car," Alexis commented.

"Why don't we walk?" Julia asked.

"It's a little too far," Castle said. "I love hiking as much as the next guy, but like I said before, the ground was a little too muddy and we aren't exactly dressed for it. Well, except for you Alexis."  
"I have the advantage," the young woman said with a smile before she pulled onto another street. She parked and when they were all out she asked Beckett, "Have you been here?"

"No, we went to Ocean Beach when we came here, because it was closer to the freeway we needed to get back to Stanford than this beach is," Beckett replied. "But I've heard it's beautiful here."

"It is," Alexis said as they made their way to the sand. She watched Julia immediately start to take pictures and told her, "You're lucky, if it was warmer today and better weather, there'd be a ton of people here."

"I can see why," Castle said, looking at the hills at the north and south that made it look like a secluded cove. "It's amazing too. I find myself using that word a lot here."

"I have too," Alexis laughed as Julia took her mother's hand and they went closer to the water. "And I probably will continue to do so," she told her dad as they followed.

"Do you have a handkerchief?" Beckett asked Castle when he got near. "She's already finding shells."

"And kelp, ew, I'd put that back Jules," Alexis said quickly as she was looking over at Julia.

"It's slimy," Julia said, rubbing the plant. "See?"

"I can see, that's fine sweetie," Beckett said quickly before she punched Castle in the arm when he started to laugh at her dodging the kelp her daughter was dragging towards them. "It's not pleasant," she told him. "I've been swimming in the Pacific and it's pretty gross having that brushing up against you."

"Me too, but I've never had a problem with it like you two. Girls," Castle said under his breath as he walked past his fiancée to Julia, earning him another punch in the shoulder from Beckett before his daughter pushed him; both done so playfully.

"Keep looking for shells though," Beckett told her daughter as they watched Julia and Castle studying the pods on the kelp together.

"Kay," Julia said before she ran to some rocks and climbed on them. She felt Castle hold her in place as she took a picture and smiled up at him saying, "Thank you."

"Very welcome, though your mom's right, we need to keep going or else you won't get enough for a little bowl," Castle said. "Let me see the piece of redwood you found," he said as he helped her back down on the sand.

Reaching into her jacket pocket, Julia handed it to him and said, "It looks like a birdie," as the shape was similar to that.

"It does, maybe we can flatten it out on the bottom here," Castle told her. "And it can sit on the shells in the bowl like it was a-"

"Nest! That's a good idea," Julia said, before running to a clump of shells left by the tide. "Help me look!" she cried to Castle as she started to dig around what there was.

Glancing at Beckett; who was smiling; he headed over to the little girl, and together they got enough shells to fill a small bowl. They were helped eventually by Alexis and Beckett, so they were soon walking back to the car as he tied the handkerchief and tucked it into the pocket of his coat.

"Will they be okay there?" Julia asked, watching him over Alexis' shoulder.

"They'll be fine," Castle assured her. "So we're heading back into the city?" he asked Alexis.

"There wasn't anything else planned for today," she said. "Did you have something else you wanted to do?"

"No," Beckett said as the question had been directed to her. "And I feel a little bad anyways that we just left your mom to come here Castle."

About to reply to that, Castle suddenly felt something hit the top of his head, and he looked up at the sky before seeing it had started to rain. He grabbed Beckett's hand as they started to run, Alexis leading the way until they reached the parking lot. "Did you get wet?" he asked Julia once they were inside the car.

"Not lots," the little girl replied with a smile. "Did you?"

"No, I think we just made it," Castle said as he looked ahead of them while Alexis pulled out of the lot. "Want me to drive?"

"I think I have enough experience now Dad," Alexis said, smiling over at him. "So how did you like today?" she then directed to Julia.

"She's out again," Beckett said, glancing at her daughter who was leaning over in her car seat.

"Too much today," Castle said with a smile. "But you realize she might stay up all night now, napping twice."

"She wasn't asleep for that long at Fisherman's Wharf," Beckett pointed out. "And she won't be for that long now either, I'll wake her up when we get to the bridge."

"So," Castle said, sitting back in his seat. "What's the dress code for tonight exactly? Casual? Formal? Flip-flops like we wore at the museum earlier?"

"That was pretty strange," Beckett said with a laugh. "But it was interesting."

"I loved how much Julia liked it," Alexis said. "And that Gram stayed with her in the hot tub."

"I'm not surprised they stayed as long as they did. So in-" Castle began.

"Formal Castle, a suit will suffice," Beckett said simply.

Nodding, he looked back and watched as Beckett carefully woke up Julia as they were nearly to the bridge. He smiled at Julia who smiled sleepily at him, waving a little as she waved back, rubbing her eyes. As he turned his attention to the Golden Gate Bridge, he had to wonder; yet again since he couldn't stop himself from thinking it; what exactly it was going to be like celebrating with the little girl there as well. He was still wondering what Beckett's plans were, but glancing back at her kissing Julia on the forehead; he knew he would enjoy it, trusting his fiancée completely.

* * *

Knocking on the door to the suite her mother and Castle were sharing, Julia looked down the hall at Martha; who had let her go to the room while she watched to make sure she got in alright; and then knocked on the door quickly again, hopping from foot to foot. "Hi," she said with a wide smile on her face once Castle had opened the door.

"Hey, come on inside, your mom is almost done… I hope," he said, waving to his mother as the little girl entered the room. "Kate, Julia's here."

"Okay, she's got great timing," Beckett said, stepping out into the room then. "Well sweetie?" she asked her daughter.

"I told you the colors were good colors," Julia said, running over to her mother and hugging her around the waist.

"I'll agree with her on that," Castle said, smiling as Beckett was wearing a short sleeved; and to him very form fitting; grey and black plaid dress, her aquamarine jewelry popping against the muted colors as a background. "But interesting, didn't figure you for plaids besides scarves… and skirts."

"I have plaid blouses, just not a lot," Beckett said. "But we had a little… tussle with this one when I saw it at the store the other night," she said as she sat down to put on her heels which she'd been carrying.

"Mommy said plaid was good for my dresses, but I said uh-uh," Julia said, jumping onto the couch next to her mother. She smiled when Castle kneeled in front of them and helped Beckett with her first shoe. "The colors were pretty and it was fancy."

"It is, and I told your mom last night when I saw her dress; you have a good eye for colors," Castle said, buckling Beckett's second heel around her ankle. "And for fashion, we might be buying her a lot of clothes as she grows up," he said to his fiancée as he stood.

"That and books," Beckett said, standing and having Julia do the same. "Which I'm prepared for."

"Me too, since I've had to do it once already," Castle commented. "And speaking of fashion, you look very grown up tonight Julia."

Blushing as she kicked her leg under her white dress with its dark blue sash, Julia whispered a thank you before she looked up at them asking, "Do we go?"

"We do," Beckett said with a slight smile watching her. She leaned down as Castle grabbed the key to the room and shared a kiss with Julia before they left ahead of him. She heard him taking a deep breath as she preceded him, and smiled to herself as she knew he'd seen she'd put the comb in her bun. She looked back at him and mouthed the words happy birthday, hoping he would take the hint; though she knew as she turned back that he already had.

* * *

"This is a little crazy, we are out in the middle of nowhere," Castle said, looking around them as they headed down the road.

"Pretty much," Beckett said with a smile, glancing past Julia at him.

Sighing; as he'd been hoping she'd tell him something about where they were going finally; Castle then said, "At least the weather cleared up."

"For now, it might rain again," Alexis said. "But let's hope it doesn't until we head back to the city."

"I'm going to miss it," Martha said. "Especially since I wasn't there the full nine days, but I'm not regretting that trip."

"We're glad to hear that Mother," Castle said when Alexis turned onto a gated road. "Okay, Kate; where are we going?" he asked as he looked at her.

"You might recognize it once you see it, but there is that," Beckett said, pointing out the sign they were driving up to then.

"No… no way, the ranch, the… May?" Castle said, stunned as he looked at the sign.

"Yes, though when I asked Alexis to check with Diana's aunt to see if it was possible, I wasn't expecting her to be able to get us to the restaurant," Beckett said. "Happy Birthday."

Looking around almost wildly, Castle said, "Can we walk around?"

"May will give us a little tour before we eat," Alexis said. "But you can't take pictures Dad. Oh, and Beckett? You're May and Judy's cousin."

"I'm not surprised to hear that," Beckett said with a smile as Alexis parked the car. "It's a beautiful building," she commented, looking out the window. She smiled again when she heard the door open and close, not surprised that Castle had gotten out as soon as he could. She turned to Julia and got her out of her seat when her door opened; turning to see it was Castle. "I've got her," she said, thinking he wanted her to hurry.

"No, the house isn't going anywhere," Castle said quickly to correct her.

Watching as Julia got out with his help; Beckett stepped out onto the ground as he held her hand and said, "It is your birthday."

"Oh I know, but, there's always the hope I can get something a little more, never hurts to try," Castle said, tucking her hand into his arm as they followed the others onto the porch where there was a group of people waiting. He and Beckett shared a look when they saw that it was May, Diana, Diana's parents and a man with three young girls.

"You told them about us wanting to take them to dinner?" Beckett asked Alexis who was smiling at their reactions.

"Well, it was the idea already to have everyone over; a family dinner of course," the young woman said. "And I figured Dad wouldn't mind having a lot of people at his birthday party."

"Sorry if it's a little intrusive," May said to Castle as she stepped up to them and hugged Beckett. "But I am so glad we get to see each other one last time."

"And that I get to meet your husband and daughters," Beckett commented.

"Okay, so this is Luke; Luke, this is Kate," May said, gesturing to her husband. She then introduced him to Castle, Alexis and Martha before looking at Julia. "And these are my daughters; who've been wanting to meet you Julia; Shannon, Clare and Virginia."

The triplets waved at Julia, who waved back shyly before going to Alexis and holding her hand. She watched them as the others were introduced to Martha, seeing they were looking at her when they walked into the house.

"Are you ready for the tour?" May asked after they had gone into the restaurant and had dropped off their coats at their table.

"Definitely," Castle commented quickly. "Really nice of you to include us," he said since there were some other employees there.

"The least I could do for my cousin," May commented, looking at Beckett and seeing she was trying not to laugh too. "Okay, so first; the library."

When they were inside the room and the others were looking at the shelves and books, Beckett took her friend's arm and pulled her back. "It's-" she started to say.

"Ready, I checked as soon as we got here," May told her reassuringly. "You just need to tell me when you want it set out. But I have to say I love your vintage look."

"Your Grecian one is interesting," Beckett commented wryly.

"I'm half Greek remember," May said. "No, but I am really glad to get back in touch with you again Kate."

"Me too. And I have to say I'm glad to see your daughters in person. I'm still in shock though… it wasn't a difficult pregnancy was it?" Beckett asked.

"Not really, except I hated the bed rest I was on for the last two months," May said. "But it was worth it when I see them; looks like they've become friendly now."

Glancing over at her daughter and May's, Beckett smiled when she saw that Julia was pointing to a book on the shelf to the three. She looked at May and said, "I don't know if I said thank you for you setting up everything tonight."

"It's not a problem, and it's sweet of you and Castle to want to thank us with dinner," May said. "Tell you what, if I'm ever out in NYC, I'll give you a call and you can take me to Remy's."

"Have you been?" Beckett asked.

"Keep going Luke," May called to her husband. "I've been to New York, but not there. And remember our discussion?"

"I do, I actually told Castle about it the other day. Can we resolve it now?" Beckett asked as they went to the next room after their families.

"I think it's pretty even," May said. "I liked NYC, but San Francisco's home, so…"

"I'm thinking the same, but the other way around," Beckett said.

"So you've had a good trip?" May asked.

"Fantastic trip," Beckett said. "Except for the case, but it's hard to remember now we were even working with how the past few days have gone. But we got to spend time with Julia and Alexis so the trip was a success in the end I think."

"I'll agree with that," Castle said, coming up to them. "Sorry, just wanted to ask you something May."

"Go ahead," the woman said.

Smiling and shaking her head as Castle began to ask about May's boss, Beckett left them to go to where her daughter was looking at a stained glass window a little apart from the others. "Hey sweetie, having fun?" she asked the little girl.

"Yeah, they're fun," Julia said, nodding to the triplets who were with their father.

"I would imagine, are you still nervous?" Beckett asked softly, pulling her close to her. When she felt Julia nod she leaned down and kissed her forehead softly saying, "I know he'll like your gift sweetie, so you don't need to worry."

"But it's not true… not yet," Julia said, biting her lower lip. "Why did Mrs. Clayton let me put that on it?"

"Because you didn't tell her who it was," Beckett said simply. She smiled when Julia hugged her tighter and said, "He'll love it though."

"He will," Castle said, walking up to them then. "I didn't hear any details," he said quickly as Beckett looked at him. "But I'm guessing she's got a gift for me now?"

"She has one for the thirty-first too, but when she found out we were celebrating here, she added a second one," Beckett said.

"She knows me extremely well," Castle said before he picked Julia up. Kissing her on the cheek he said, "I don't think you need to worry Julia, whatever it is, I'll love it. I did love all your gifts you gave me at Christmas."

"And this one the same?" Julia whispered. When Castle nodded seriously, she hugged him tightly around the neck, seeing her mother smiling at them before she took his hand and squeezed it tightly.

* * *

"I'm surprised you don't really eat that often here," Martha was saying to May as they were finishing up dinner in the restaurant.

"Well, it's a little far for us, especially now we have three kids," May replied, watching her daughters playing with Julia in the then empty room. "But once in a great while we'll head up here for a night out."

"It's a great place to go," Castle said. "And as a birthday dinner, that was pretty amazing; if this were public I'd give it a high rating on Yelp."

"I'm surprised you haven't done that with Le Circe," Beckett commented.

"He has, just with a secret account I think," Alexis teased her dad.

"Hey. No, I'm kidding, I've read reviews instead of writing on it," Castle said. "I read one about the place we went to in Chinatown."

"Four Seas?" May asked. She smiled widely and said, "I forgot about that place, but can you believe it's still there?"

"Not really," Beckett replied before she paused as the girls were giggling heavily. She glanced over with the others, seeing the four were dancing together and she looked back at May.

"They're in ballet too, I don't think they're going to stick with it… no, let me take that back, Virginia will likely be a dancer out of the three of them," she replied quickly. "But Julia looks pretty good; she takes it seriously I'm guessing?"

"Very," Castle said, Beckett nodding. "It's why I set up that meeting with Derek last night."

"That had to be fun," Diana's mother said. "Especially for her."

"She was in shock afterwards, only answered with a word at a time basically," Beckett said. She checked on Julia again as the conversation went to Martha, Diana's parents asking her about the winery she'd stayed at since it was one they'd been to a number of times.

"May," Castle said, watching his fiancée and then remembering something. "I wonder if you could tell me what exactly happened with that horse trough you and Kate were talking about the other day."

"You heard that?" Beckett asked, turning to look at him.

"I wasn't that far away," Castle said simply. "And you know I'll look for any story I can get about you."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Beckett said, rolling her eyes. "Go ahead May," she then said to her friend. "It mainly has to do with you."

"How many times do you want me to say sorry?" May asked though she was smiling. "Okay, so, we were coming back from a ride on a Saturday. Though we never really rode together. As soon as we got to the hills where we rode, Kate would just take off and zoom, gone from sight. After the first time we rode together I stopped trying to catch up to her because I would have exhausted my horses. But that time we'd come back to the stables and I had chosen a more… powerful stallion to try out." She saw that Beckett had opened her mouth to speak and said, "Yes, I know I should have left him to you, you don't need to say it!" though she was joking in her tone.

"You always took on more than you knew you could handle," Judy teased her sister. "You always did that when we were young; never let me go down the tall slides at parks first, it always had to be you though you were terrified."

"I know," May said with a sigh. "Okay, so back to the story, I was leading the horse back inside his stable, and right at the entrance he froze completely. I tried getting him to continue, but he was skittish, and Kate came over to help but eventually we had such a hard time that I forgot that she was on the other side of him. He got so out of control that he swung around and ended up knocking her into the trough we were next to."

"Yeah, and you laughed once you realized the splashing noise was me," Beckett said, making a face at her friend.

"I know, and I did say I was sorry," May said, though she was trying not to laugh. She finally couldn't take it anymore, and burst out into laughter as Beckett did the same. "Sorry, she was completely shocked," she finally was able to say when they got themselves under control. "And then she looked up at me and I was so glad that I had the stallion to shield me, because she looked pissed."

"Of course I was, you laughed and didn't bother to get a stable hand to take the horse so you could help me out," Beckett said. "And I did laugh, but later, once I'd taken a very long shower and was dressed in dry clothes. And eventually I forgave you."

"After I apologized profusely," May said with a smile. "Luckily we're still friends."

"Cake?" Luke suddenly asked, looking at Beckett as their table was quiet before the four girls came over then.

"Actually," Beckett said, looking to May.

"Excuse me really quick thing I need to do," the woman said, leaving.

"Sounds like you two had a lot of fun together," Castle said.

"I wouldn't look so interested," Beckett said with a slight smile. "That was about it for anything funny; well, any big stories we'd remember."

"Too bad," Castle said, looking at her.

Seeing May returning from the entrance to the restaurant, Beckett stood and said, "I feel like walking a little before we have cake. Anyone want to come with me?"

"I'll join you," Castle said, standing up then as he saw the others were shaking their heads. "Are we going out… side," he started to say, looking out. Though it was getting dark, he could still see the rain gently falling. "Okay, then where are we going?"

"We can wander a little," Beckett said. She knew Castle was just looking at her, so she smiled and said, "To the library of course." She took his hand in hers and they walked out together, waving at Julia and Alexis who were playing musical chairs with the triplets and Diana. "So how has your celebration gone so far?" she asked once they were heading to the room.

"Really fun," Castle said with a slight smile. "Great food, good company, my family, and I got a story about you that I didn't have to wrestle or sneak from your friend."

Beckett pursed her lips slightly at that, but then smiled and said, "I'll give you that. But if we ever meet any college friends of yours… do I want to hear those stories though?"

"I don't know," Castle said honestly. "One day I'll tell you about the Christmas prank my friend Freddy and I did to this one fraternity. Not now, because we ended up walking in on a couple… busy."

"Why wouldn't…" Beckett began to say. "Oh, you didn't go unaffected I'm guessing."

"Was staring a lot, but ended up getting a good slap to the face, so that kind of took care of things," Castle said.

"Did you end up dating her?" Beckett asked. "And I'm not jealous by the way."

"Sure?" Castle asked. When she just looked at him, he said, "We had a date, but she wasn't very… her interests involved mainly her poetry… bad poetry that she never realized it was. Kept popping off couplets and it drove me insane."

"It killed the romance I'm going to guess," Beckett said with a smile as they walked into the library.

"Banished it more like it, never to return," Castle said, waving his hand. He heard Beckett's sigh and said, "Sorry, seemed appropriate. Okay, so we're here, want to read a book together?"

"Not exactly," Beckett said, leading him over to a table.

"A gift already? Before cake?" Castle said jokingly though he was taking the lid off the box. He looked up at her once he'd gotten a look at what was inside, and reached inside. "A saber… and signed. You know when I suggested that as being your gift-"

"Alexis told me you did want one after I had bought it," Beckett said. She couldn't help smile as she suddenly straightened up; after looking around the glass box; and said, "And she managed to get it to May."

"So… how, you don't owe him anything?" Castle asked, looking at the signature on the side of the wood base.

"Actually, I do, you need to sign those," Beckett said, nodding to a table across the room.

"I'll do it gladly," Castle said quickly; able to tell she was a little unsure saying that. He went to the stack of books and set aside his gift before taking the pen and signing all his Nikki Heat books. "Wait… he's a fan," he said suddenly.

"I was waiting for that, and I can't believe my gift surprised you that much," Beckett said with a smile. "But yes, he is."

"That's pretty awesome," Castle said, signing _Deadly Heat_ last and writing a short note with a promise to get a signed copy of _Hamptons Heat_ to May's boss as soon as it was released. He set down the pen, closed the book, and took Beckett into his arms saying, "Thank you," before kissing her as hard as he could.

A little startled by the kiss, Beckett was luckily able to recover, and she parted her lips, as he was making it passionate almost immediately. When they pulled apart at nearly the same time she looked into his eyes intently and whispered, "That's not the only gift though. But it's the only one tonight I can give you in a relatively public setting."

"Then I'm looking forward to the more private one," Castle said before he leaned down and nipped at Beckett's lower lip before she returned the favor. "Really hope we get to that soon."

"Me too," Beckett said with a smile before he closed the gap in between them. Before she; or Castle for that matter; could really get into that kiss, they both heard a gasp from the entrance and then turned to see it was Julia, holding a present in front of her face. "Sweetie-" she started to say in slight surprise at the sight of her daughter's present.

"Diana said you were coming to give a present, and Alexis got me mine to give you Castle," Julia said, still covering her face. She looked up as her mother took the present, and she whispered, "Can I give it to him now?"

"Go ahead," Beckett said, leaning down and kissing her. "Don't be nervous sweetie."

Going over to Castle, Julia held out her present her mother had given back to her and said softly, "Happy Birthday Castle."

"Thank you Julia," he said smiling at his fiancée before he picked her up and then sat down at the table. He took off the bow, and then the lid, and saw that inside on the tissue paper was a framed drawing he recognized as Julia's artwork. "This is great," he told her seriously. "Tell me all about this; you'll explain it better than my eyes will."

Biting her lower lip, Julia said in a near whisper, "It's my family. I had to draw for school, and this is Mommy, that's me and that's you."

Castle looked up at Beckett, who nodded to his unasked question, and he looked at Julia, gathering her in his arms tightly. "Thank you so much," he told the little girl sincerely. "So we're your family."

"Yes, and I was gonna draw Alexis and Martha, but people ask questions and I don't want to say a story," Julia said. "But they're here, this is Alexis," she said, pointing to short a red figure at the top edge of the paper. "And this is Martha," she pointed out a green figure next to the red. "Oh, and that's Grandpapa," indicating the grey figure last. "So they're in the picture too. Is it okay my grandpapa is in it?"

"Of course, he is part of our family," Castle said, looking up at Beckett again. "And this is a great present, I love that you framed it. So I can set it up in my room… I think I'll set it in my room with my saber."

"I'm not surprised," Beckett said with a smile as she touched his shoulder. "I'm sorry we were kind of secretive about this, but I wanted to give you my gift in a private setting."

"That's fine, and like I said, these are great," Castle said. "Here," he said before taking her hand and pulling her down to him to kiss her on the lips, lingering slightly. He then turned to Julia and shared a peck on the lips with her saying, "Thank you both, so far my birthday presents have been awesome."

"No other descriptive words?" Beckett asked as he stood.

"Not a single one," Castle said, setting Julia down.

"Can I go play with Shannon, Clare and Virginia?" Julia asked them.

"Go ahead, and if they ask, we're coming right now," Beckett said. When they were alone she turned to Castle and said, "She was nervous."

"I could tell," he said. "So… how did she explain this in school?" he asked as he looked at the figures in the middle, holding stick hands together.

"That the taller one is her grandfather, but it was just in class," Beckett said. "When she came home that day she made sure I knew it was you, and she begged me to let her give it to you as a gift. So I got the frame and she added the figures at the top before we got it ready."

"Wait," Castle said, looking at the picture again. "After? So for her, her family is the two of us."

"To her, now that she's met other kids and seen their parents, it's a mother and father and the child," Beckett explained. "Well, for her it is, another kid in her class has two dads, but she knows that for her, we're her parents. And Rick," she said, touching his arm. "I asked her earlier today, while you were back in our suite and I was giving her a bath, if she wanted to call you daddy but…"

"It's too soon," Castle said simply. "It wasn't a risk to ask her that was it?"

"No, because if it was she would have started being aloof towards you again," Beckett said. "I think she needs something really concrete before she calls you that."

"Like me signing those papers," Castle replied.

"Or just us getting married, but she will say it, I can promise you that. I know our daughter," Beckett said, searching his eyes to see if he was disappointed.

"I know, and I know our daughter too. And really what matters to me right now is that she sees me as her going to be father," Castle said. "Considering how she was with me at the start, I'll take it." He picked up the saber and then picture saying, "And I'll also take this picture gladly. A definite sign we're going to be a family to her."

Nodding, Beckett took the picture and walked with him back to the restaurant. "You should thank Alexis you know," she said.

"It's okay," the young woman said, startling them since she was behind them. "Sorry, I was playing hide and seek and since Clare hadn't found me, I decided to come back." She looked past her dad and Beckett then and took off running around the edge of the room, Clare running after her.

"Time for cake you guys," May called to her daughters. "Well?" she asked under her breath when Beckett came close enough to hear.

"He liked it; and the books are all signed," she replied, squeezing her friend's arm.

Once everyone was gathered at the table, a waiter lit the candles on top of it, and they all sang _Happy Birthday_ except for Castle. He had Julia sitting on his lap; and Alexis to his left and once the song was over he asked them both to help him blow out the candles. Before he could eat the slice of chocolate cake that Beckett cut for him, he was opening the three gifts there were; one from his daughter, one from Diana and her parents and one from May and Luke; his mother's gift was back in New York, waiting for the thirty-first. He received a new picture of him and Alexis at the Academy of Sciences in a new frame; and he hugged his daughter tightly for it, since she had obviously rushed to get it ready in the day she'd had. From the others the gifts were simple mementos of the city, a large picture of an old travel poster with the Golden Gate Bridge he decided to hang in his office and a smaller colorized photograph of the city skyline in 1915; at the time of the Panama-Pacific Exposition. He thanked everyone for their gifts once they were finished with the cake, and since the leftovers were wrapped up to go with May and Luke, he and everyone else head out to leave.

Hugging May tightly as they stood on the porch, Beckett said, "I'm really sorry we couldn't spend more time together. Would have loved to sit down with you and talked for a while."

"Probably a long while," May said with a laugh as they let go of each other. "But we have each other's numbers and e-mails; we'll definitely keep in touch."

"I know," Beckett said. "Thank you again for everything you helped set up."

"My pleasure," May said. "And tell Castle I'll watch out for Alexis with my sister until she and my niece head back to New York."

"Thank you for that," Castle said, coming up the steps to the house with an umbrella as it was still raining. "Do you want more time?" he asked his fiancée.

"No, we should go, Julia needs to get to bed," Beckett said. She hugged May one more time and said, "Congratulations again."

"Thanks, you're going to have to tell him now," May said as they both looked over at Castle.

"He'll be able to keep a secret," Beckett said, smiling wryly at him. "Bye, give my love to Luke, your girls and your mom of course."

"I will, drive safe," May said, waving as Luke came out of the house with the triplets.

"What is it?" Castle asked as they walked to the car.

"She's pregnant," Beckett said with a slight smile.

"After having triplets?" Castle said in surprise.

"They're only having one, she's about four months along," Beckett said. "I guessed it actually, she didn't tell me."

"How'd you guess?" Castle asked.

"She had hot chocolate though she said she was getting coffee at Starbucks the other day, and you can tell her body's changing shape," Beckett said. "It's a boy," she then said.

"Did you guess that?" Castle said, looking at her.

"No, she just told me while we were talking on the porch. I'm really happy for her, and also that I got to see her again," Beckett said. "I want to say thank you to Alexis again, but I get the feeling she'd be annoyed."

"I don't think so," Castle said. He held the umbrella over her as she got inside the car, and then went around to the other side of Julia. As Alexis started the drive back to the city, he leaned back in his seat, watching Beckett and Julia talking quietly about their day. Smiling, he leaned over to them, kissing Julia's temple to her smile before she asked him how he'd liked the woods, which brought him into their conversation and they kept that up until they were back in San Francisco, the rain never stopping and the fog thickening around them.

* * *

"Mommy, Castle, I don't want to go home tomorrow," Julia said as she was carried to bed by him.

"I know sweetie," Beckett said first.

"You don't want to go back home? See your grandfather and Kauai?" Castle asked her as he set her on the bed.

"Yeah, but I don't wanna leave Alexis," Julia said quickly.

"I'll be home before you know it," the young woman called from the main room, making the three laugh.

"She's right," Castle said, hugging Julia then before they shared a kiss. "But today was fun, and again, thank you so much for your gift, I still love it. And I love you Julia, sweet dreams."

Julia smiled at that and nodded before she watched him leave since Martha was calling him. She then hugged her mother tightly around the neck and said, "I love you too Mommy."

"I love you Julia, so much," Beckett said, sharing a kiss with her before she tucked her in. "What is it?" she asked as she could tell by the way her daughter was nibbling on her lower lip that she wanted to say something.

"Can… can I ask you a question?" Julia whispered.

"Of course," Beckett said, smoothing down her hair.

"Can I have a baby sister?" Julia said, her voice so low her mother almost didn't hear her.

At first Beckett was a little taken aback, but she then quickly recovered saying, "Is it because you were playing with the triplets at the restaurant?"

"They said they're gonna have a baby brother soon," Julia said softly. "But I would want a little sister."

"You have a sister though sweetie; Alexis," Beckett pointed out, not sure if she could really answer Julia's request.

"Yeah, but a little sister is fun too, Virginia's a little sister and Clare and Shannon said it was fun to have one," Julia said. "Should I write Santa at Christmas for a sister?"

"I don't think so," Beckett said with a smile. "And you need to go to sleep you know. Sweet dreams Julia." She leaned over and shared a kiss with her daughter before she left, pausing to watch the little girl settle into place on the bed before she closed her eyes. She looked over at Castle as he walked up to her once the door was closed and said, "I'm heading to our room."

"So am I, I said goodnight to my mom and Alexis already," Castle said. "I'll wait here." He watched his fiancée walk over to his mother's room to say goodnight to her and Alexis; and he opened the door to Julia and Alexis' room slightly. Watching the little girl sleeping, he was still trying to grasp the conversation he'd just heard. He'd been about to come back inside when he'd heard Julia's question, and he wasn't too surprised that Beckett had quickly deflected it. He wanted to bring it up with her, but knew that it was too soon to even think of that. He still couldn't help let his mind wander on the subject, and he nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Is she okay?" Beckett whispered, looking inside at Julia. "Are you okay?" she asked, seeing that her daughter was fine before she closed the door.

"Yeah, let's go," Castle said. He saw that Beckett was still looking at him suspiciously, and he then said, "I believe I have one more present. According to you."

Smiling, Beckett shook her head and merely walked down the hall ahead of him, knowing he was staring after her with every step she took.

* * *

Breathing a little roughly as he and Beckett pulled apart from their kiss, Castle nuzzled her lips with his own before pulling back enough to look at her. "So was that my present?" he asked. When she looked at him he quickly said, "I'm just asking in case you want to start anything next. As far as I'm concerned, that was enough."

Beckett didn't reply to that, instead started to fix his trousers before he helped. She let him finish with his zipper and while he was doing that, wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed a few kisses to his cheek when he suddenly was whispering into her ear, "I wouldn't mind a little more though." "I know you wouldn't," she said, pulling back to look at him. "Especially since all I got off of you was your blazer and tie."

"That doesn't matter, didn't stop you from what you just did. And very well," Castle said, shuddering in pleasure since he could still feel her mouth around his erection. To distract himself; in case that was all she wanted to do with him that night; he looked around them and said, "I'm going to miss this room. But why the chez lounge?"

"Because I wanted to," Beckett replied with a shrug. "I shouldn't really need a reason." She sat up then at his insistence and allowed him to unzip the back of her dress. Shivering in pleasure as his hands ran over her bare skin that he could reach, she leaned down to kiss him again, her heart pounding as her own unsatisfied arousal reminded her it was still there and very much blazing.

Pushing himself up so he could sit as well, Castle reached for the bun in her hair, pulling out her comb which he set on the table next to them. Running his fingers through her hair that was falling around her shoulders, he stared into her eyes, seeing her desire there easily. He leaned down and kissed her, trying to take her dress off her shoulders when she stopped him.

Getting off the chez, Beckett took Castle's hand and pulled him up, heading to the bedroom without saying a word. She knew that would unnerve him, and make him wonder if she was finished for the night. But once they were next to her side of the bed, she kissed his lips briefly before she whispered, "I'll be back."

Watching her a little dazedly, Castle shook himself as the sound of heavy rain hitting the window caught his attention. He went to the window, looking down on Union Square and the few people walking through it with umbrellas. He glanced down at Powell, and realized he understood why Julia didn't want to go home. Besides the case they'd helped investigate, he'd been having a lot of fun and didn't really want it to end. He shook a little as he was reminded his shirt was wide open, and looked down at himself, unable to help recall Beckett earlier. Shuddering in pleasure again, he heard the door to the bathroom open, and he turned, seeing that she was walking up to him. "You-" he started to say.

"Here," Beckett said with a smile, pleased to see his reaction. She had on the robe she'd bought in Chinatown, and putting it on she'd been a little unsure of it, as she'd never really worn anything like it before. The fabric around her chest and upper arms was tight, but the sleeves had fabric hanging from them in the style of a furisode kimono, though she wasn't sure it could be called an actual kimono with its design. She shook that from her thoughts though as she had Castle sit on the edge of the bed, seeing he was staring at her intently still, though his surprised expression had slid into one of arousal. She had to wonder how that had happened so quickly, but she turned her attention to him again when he tried to untie her robe.

"Ow, what?" Castle asked when she slapped away his hands. "Can't I just…" he started to say, standing up.

"No, but, thank you for reminding me," Beckett said, pulling his shirt off his shoulders. She wasn't too surprised when he quickly started to help her, and together they got it off of him before starting on his trousers at almost the same time. Once he was naked, she let him lead her to the bed, though once he was on it with her; she turned them around so she was above him, her knees straddling him. Smiling a little as he looked slightly startled at that action, she untied her robe, parting it as his eyes went down to her hands.

Though he'd expected it, Castle couldn't help but suck in a quick breath of air at the sight of her naked. He grabbed her hips as she shrugged the robe down off her shoulders, and they were soon joined as she helped guide him to her. He groaned heavily at the sensation, since it hadn't taken a lot for her to arouse him again, and he waited for her to move, letting his eyes feast on her for what felt like a very long time.

Finally unable to take it anymore, Beckett pushed herself up on her knees, and slid back down, doing so as slowly as possible. She wasn't surprised when she first moaned and he groaned heavily after her in response, and she quickly moved a little faster. His hands were on her waist still, but she soon felt them sliding up to her back, clasping together on the small of it before she changed her angle, and was digging her nails into his stomach.

Hissing in slight pain though she didn't cut into his skin, Castle took her hands off and sat up, wrapping his arms around her just after he crushed his lips to hers. Feeling she was still wearing the robe, he groaned in a little frustration, and pulled away from her long enough to discard it. As soon as it was off; hanging half off the bed though neither he nor Beckett noticed; he gathered her in his arms and kissed her deeply, trying to keep her pace as her rhythm kept changing every time she moved down. He leaned back when they needed to breathe, and ran his hands over her breasts, watching her arch her back into him. Breathing harshly, he leaned down and first took one; then the other; while he used his hand to fondle the other his mouth was not on. He worked over her for a while, until she suddenly pulled him off of her by grabbing his shoulders. Looking into her eyes, he kissed her hard, letting only a second pass before he was slipping his tongue into her mouth.

Groaning in pleasure as she let him control that kiss, Beckett felt herself faltering, and she nearly stopped, a little aggravated. She had wanted to give him what she could that night; since it was for his birthday; but in that moment, she wanted to feel more herself. Feeling a little guilty as she tried to go back to how she'd been moving before, she suddenly got an idea; a little curious as to why she hadn't planned it in the first place. But shaking that from her mind as she was wasting time, she leaned over, whispering into his ear as she stopped moving, "I want you to fuck me Rick."

Staring at her with wide eyes, Castle didn't waste much time before he'd turned her onto her back, and began to move; starting out slowly though. He could see by the look in her eyes that she was a little irritated by that, but he gradually began to speed up his pace. He was soon going as hard as he could inside of her, surprised he wasn't losing it that second as he could feel her around him, moving with him and matching him thrust for thrust easily. Shaking slightly, he kissed her hard, telling by her grasping the back of his head that she was enjoying it as well.

The kiss was short, as they both needed to breathe badly with their exertions, but Beckett felt Castle's lips along her neck before she wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting to hold him tightly to her. She soon wrapped her legs around him, feeling him suddenly angling his hips a different way. A second later he was literally slamming into her, and she threw her head back roughly with a short scream, feeling him directly against the junction of her legs. She ran her nails over his scalp, feeling him shuddering against her before their lips met again. She took that kiss as he'd initiated it, and moved her right foot to the bed. Suddenly finding herself needing some extra leverage, she pressed it down hard, and was able to get back to where he was. She then moved her hands from his head to his cheeks, pulling him away so she could look at him in the eyes as they moved together; dimly hearing the bed again slamming against the wall behind it.

Brushing his lips over her shoulders, Castle felt her moans through her chest, and he drifted down further until he reached the tops of her breasts. He paused in between them, breathing heavily, trying to keep taking her as she'd begged him, wanting to make her reach her peak first that night; forgetting for a moment that it had technically been him that had. He moved again when she stroked his shoulders, and went up to her lips, brushing against them as he'd been brushing against her skin a moment before. Pulling back to look in her eyes again, he suddenly had to stop, her look of pleasure was too overpowering and a little surreal as he had a hard time realizing that it was him that was doing that to her.

"No! Castle! You have to stop doing that!" Beckett said between clenched teeth.

"I can't," he said simply, trying to catch his breath while he had the chance. He looked on as she tried to move, thrusting her hips towards him to get him to move again. But he was pressing onto her enough to keep her from moving more than slightly, and he leaned down, kissing her hard to distract her. Eventually; as that went on for a long time since they had the breath to do so; Castle thrust once, hard, and deep since her legs were wrapped around him tightly. Her short scream cut off their kiss, and he was soon moving again, as intense as before. At the first few thrusts he was nearly slipping from her as she was incredibly aroused, and the sensation was sending a shock all through him. But he managed to hold on, and went back to how he'd been making love to her before.

Moving her lips to his ear, as she could feel her body preparing itself for its end, Beckett began to whisper to Castle. She taunted him a little, suggesting he was going to need to work harder to get her off. Her reward was him stopping again, but it was only briefly, so he could slip a pillow under her hips. When he made her spread her left leg to bend it at the knee next to him, she knew she had pushed him, she just wasn't sure if it was going to be too much. He was then thrusting into her again, hard and rough as she'd told him to, and she was suddenly crying out, moaning, and to her shock begging him. What she asked for she was never able to figure out, only knowing that whatever it was, he gave it to her, and willingly.

Castle watched his fiancée then, as best he could, mesmerized by the way Beckett's body was moving, her muscles clearly visible as she worked to thrust with him. She was also literally shinning, a thin sheen of sweat covering her entire form. He knew his was the same, but didn't care; he just wanted to fulfill what she wanted, because it had easily become his desire as well. He took her left leg then, and tucked it underneath his arm, making sure his thrusts were more deliberate as he entered her. He was deep, and he wasn't sure why they weren't already finished and going to sleep in exhaustion. But before he could really think about that, he felt her tensing up underneath him, and he kissed her lips as quickly as he could, wanting to hear her find her pleasure as his eyes never left her face.

Clutching tightly at Castle's shoulders, Beckett rolled her head back and forth as she screamed, knowing that it was his name. It shook her when she heard her own tone of voice; but it was the same the last time he had been that rough with her, and it was making her shake faintly as she soon felt and heard his climax after hers. She held him tightly to her with her arms and legs, feeling him groaning in ecstasy against her neck which he'd buried his face into. There was little surprise when they'd suddenly driven each other to a second orgasm, and they rode it out together as best they could while skirting the very edge of their consciousness. She came back to herself a little in a trance when they had stopped moving, and she bit her lower lip as she felt very weak, but fully sated. "This was supposed to be all about you," she finally said as he raised his head.

"I know, and guess what? It was," Castle said, getting off of her carefully. He pulled her tiredly to him, but was feeling the same satisfaction she was. "And that was a great private gift. I can't wait to see what you give me my actual birthday."

"Typical," Beckett said, rolling her eyes. "Already thinking about next time."

"After what we just did, can you honestly blame me for that?" Castle asked, rubbing her hip which he had his hand on.

"No, but I really don't think I can gather the strength to get excited for that," Beckett said, pressing her cheek to his shoulder more firmly.

"Why did you ask me that?" Castle asked after they were quiet for a long time.

"Because I wanted it," Beckett said candidly. "Do you realize what you do when you're that rough and uninhibited? And you're sober, so that makes it more arousing."

"Never thought of it that way," Castle said, looking down at her. "Do you think if I ever asked you to do that, you would?"

"I could, I just don't know if it would have the same results," Beckett said.

"I think it would," Castle said, rubbing the side of his head as he yawned.

"And I'd fall asleep before I could get off you," Beckett said with a smile. "If you're that tired yourself."

"It's a lot of effort, but it's worth it," Castle said simply. "So this was a great trip."

"It was," Beckett sighed, feeling the exhaustion of their lovemaking starting to creep up on her. "And I hope you were serious about coming back."

"Definitely," Castle answered. "And next time let's come back on our own?"

"That's not fair to Julia and Alexis," Beckett said. "And we have time to plan out any future trip." She raised herself up at the same time Castle grabbed the covers; as they were starting to feel the cold from the storm; and when he turned to her she kissed his lips tenderly, pleased when he responded. "For now, I'd like to sleep and regain a little energy before we go home."

Nodding, Castle lay down with her, holding her to him tightly before she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep. He wasn't surprised she was that tired, since he was close to nodding off himself. But he had a final thought; that was he was very lucky that night. There had been so close of a chance that he could have lost her to the waters of San Francisco Bay that he shuddered in disgust, accidentally waking his fiancée up.

"Okay?" Beckett asked, her voice a little foggy with sleep already.

"Fine, sorry, just cold," Castle said.

"Then stay close tonight," Beckett sighed, snuggling closer to him and closing her arms around his neck tighter.

Castle stroked Beckett's hair with his free hand, and held her tightly with the other, unable to help whispering to her; though she was asleep by then, "I think you've topped all your other gifts with just one thing; yourself." He brushed his lips across hers, and finally allowed himself to fall asleep, reassured that she was there; safe in his arms; and it was in no way a dream that he would lose with the imminent dawn.


	14. Epilogue- 'Till It's Getting Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Hosanna by Paul McCartney, from his album New.

Her eyes flying open, Beckett could hear the echo of a groan in the room, wondering if it had come from herself. She looked over at Castle then as he groaned, and realized that he was having a nightmare. And she knew which one it was. "Castle?" she said, shaking his shoulder carefully. When he didn't respond except to groan again, she shook him harder, not surprised when he nearly ran into her as he sat up.

"What… what happened?" Castle asked, his voice drowsy with sleep as he was breathing hard.

"You had a nightmare, go back to sleep," Beckett said soothingly, knowing he was still half asleep. She pushed on his chest gently until he was laying back and she pressed close against him stroking his cheek as she could feel he was incredibly tense. She murmured soothingly to him that she was alright and was relieved when he finally relaxed, going to sleep shortly after that. She pulled away to watch him then, smiling slightly as she could tell he was out.

Realizing that she was wide awake herself, Beckett got off the bed to throw on her pajamas and walk around for a little to see if she could get tired again. She went to the window right outside the doorway to the bedroom, looking out at Union Square. She had to wonder how the trip had passed so quickly; as by then it was nearly dawn on Sunday; and they were going to be leaving for home later on that day. She sighed, wishing they could have more time, but decided that for them, things had gone better than she'd expected. Not sure how long she was standing there at the window, she jumped a little when arms wrapped around her from behind before she relaxed back into Castle's embrace. "The same nightmare?" she asked him, wondering how long she'd been standing there.

"No, I just woke up," he said simply. "You're cold, how long have you been standing here?"

"I guess a while," Beckett said with a slight sigh. "I was just remembering this vacation; although why I'm feeling nostalgic about it when we're still here I don't know."

"It's been an interesting trip," Castle said, kissing her temple.

"You're sure you weren't having that nightmare," Beckett said, turning around to look at him. "You did didn't you?"

"It was different this time," Castle sighed. "I saw you going under after you were kicked off the boat, but as soon as you did, it was as if the water froze before it was smooth, wasn't even water actually. It was not pleasant."

"Okay, well, you know that's just a dream," Beckett said, knowing it was going to be a problem for him unless they talked about it.

"I'm aware of it," Castle said. "But I can't control my dreams."

"You can influence them," Beckett said. "My doctor's helped me with mine," she said quickly when he looked at her in surprise. "It's why I check on Julia sometimes before I go to bed, and why I send you a text some nights. That way I don't have that nightmare about you both…"

"Yeah," Castle said quickly. "But I'm in bed with you; naked; how am I having these dreams."

"I think it's a little too soon after," Becket finally said. "Do what I did though once we go home, talk to me at night, text me, whatever, reassure yourself that I'm here still."

"Interesting, you're sure you're not just asking me that so you can be in contact with me more?" Castle asked teasingly. When she merely looked at him he nodded and said seriously, "I'll try that." He rubbed his hands up and down her back saying, "I'm just glad it's only a nightmare."

"Believe me, I am too," Beckett said. "And I'm glad you had that key. Do you still have it?" she then asked as she remembered that key had been the one to open the cuffs on her in the house in Queens.

"No, as soon as I got your cuffs unlocked I dropped it, so it's in the bay. So I guess I didn't leave my heart in San Francisco but my… key," Castle said. "Doesn't sound as good does it?" he asked seeing she was shaking her head.

"Not really, leave the song to Tony Bennett," Beckett said. "But you know this city is pretty special to our family now."

"I do know, and you're right now that I've thought about it. We should come back with Alexis and Julia; and my mother of course," Castle said as Beckett turned around to look out the window again in his arms. "Would your dad like to come?"

"I'm pretty sure he would," Beckett replied. They were both quiet then, watching the lightening sky in the east around the buildings on the other side of the Square. "It's been a while since we've done this," she murmured as dawn approached, the clouds breaking apart as the storm left the city.

"True, we're usually exhausted with work and Julia… or because of each other," Castle said. He smiled when she elbowed him playfully in the ribs and he kissed the side of her head as the sky became pink.

Sighing slightly as the rays of the sun finally came up around the buildings in the distance, Beckett turned back around to Castle. "I feel guilty," she told him seriously.

"About what?" he asked as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Not giving you what I had planned exactly for your birthday last night," Beckett said.

"Well, what you gave me was pretty nice I thought," Castle commented.

"But that wasn't it," Beckett said. She reached up and made him close the gap between them before she kissed him. She started out slowly at first, but as he immediately began to respond to her, she kissed him harder. They were soon fighting almost with their tongues in his mouth, until she let him into hers and they had to part to get their breath back. "Come on," she said, her heart pounding in anticipation as they stared into each other's eyes.

Letting her lead him into the room, Castle saw her robe on the ground and asked, "Wanna give me my gift wrapped in that?" nodding to it.

"No," Beckett said simply before she pulled him up against her. She started another kiss, letting him take over easily before their mouths drifted apart slowly. "Hmm, I'm not sure now if I want to do this," she said with a smile as her lips were throbbing.

"Oh, I do," Castle said, trying not to sound too frantic as he reached for the bottom of her shirt. Pulling it up over her he wasn't too surprised she'd been teasing, her hands pulling his shirt up then. They rushed a little to undress one another, until finally they were naked, and he picked her up before she could say anything.

"I-" Beckett started to say when Castle suddenly kissed her. She didn't mind it though, but she could feel her plans slipping away for a second time as he caressed her breasts. She finally pulled away from him and made him lay down below her saying, "You control this… me."

"That's… really," Castle said.

"Really, though I know you didn't mind how we kept ourselves occupied last night, I wanted this for you," Beckett said, not too surprised when he moved her around to lower her body down to his. She was going to speak when she breathed in a little deeply, feeling his hands around her waist clutching her a little tightly. "You…" she began, breathing out heavily as he was incredibly aroused. "Okay, you can, you can change anything… just… don't stop," she ended with a moan as she'd tried to explain her idea to him but lost her train of thought as he started to move her.

Watching as Beckett quickly picked up the rhythm he was trying to get her to, Castle let his hands wander over her body since she didn't need his guidance at the moment. He ran his hands down her back as their hips collided a little loudly in the largely silent room, feeling her tensing up at his touch. Moving one hand around to her front, he ran it over her cheek, looking on as she turned her head, kissing at his palm. His mouth watered a little then, and he suddenly sat up, kissing her as hard as he could as they hugged one another tightly. "Kate," he groaned when she pulled away suddenly. She was kissing frantically at his cheeks and jaw, stroking his face so gently he let her go a little faster, more than content with letting her take over at that point.

Beckett pulled away then, as she recalled she was supposed to be letting him direct everything. Looking at him she took his hands and placed them on her hips whispering as their lips nuzzled against each other, "Like this?"

Shuddering at her tone of voice, Castle turned them around suddenly and took her right leg, bringing it up under his arm. He began to thrust again as she wrapped her other leg around his legs, and he reached out to the side of the bed, grabbing a pillow and tucking it underneath her hips. He then really focused on his pace, and with his right hand guided Beckett, leaning down close to whisper to her, "Like this," before he went to her neck. Trailing down to her breasts, he took them both hungrily, hearing her cries and moans above him. He sped up slightly, making her follow though he knew she would do that willingly, and he pulled away to look into her eyes. She had them closed at that moment, so he leaned down and brushed his lips over them both slowly before he did the same to her lips. When she looked at him he whispered, "I love you."

Biting on her lower lip roughly, Beckett pulled his face down close enough to hers to do the same thing. She pulled him to her lips and whispered against them, "I love you too."

Brushing his lips against hers, Castle found his attention soon going back to them together, still moving, though he wasn't sure how he could still do so since his concentration was on other things. But they were both moving together, and as he watched her closing her eyes tightly, moaning in pleasure; while she thrust against his hips; he remembered that she had wanted him to direct everything. Getting an idea suddenly, he leaned down and whispered something into her ear.

"You… that?" Beckett asked in surprise when she opened her eyes to look at him. She got her answer when he moved off her a little, and she slid her hand down her body. She started at her breasts and fondled both, biting the side of her mouth as she saw Castle's eyes seem to become incredibly intense in only a second. She slid her fingers down until they were at the apex of her legs, and she rubbed carefully, his whispers in her ear directing her. She moved them up and down; then around in a circle, all the while they were still making love. Becoming a little dizzy, she finally moved her hand from between them and threw her arms around his neck tightly, thrusting up against him as hard as she could in pleasure as he groaned out her name loudly in response; not caring she was forgetting her gift to him yet again.

Forgetting the same thing, Castle bent his head and kissed her hard, but quickly as he needed to breathe a little desperately. He pulled back from her enough to look into her eyes, and finally went down to her neck, biting at it. He knew he had to stop, but he couldn't, her skin too warm and smooth as silk for him to be able to do so. But finally he pulled away from her to kiss her on the lips again. He had lost track of how he was thrusting, and he realized that he was still going the same pace he'd been before. Breathing roughly, he looked down at Beckett, seeing her neck arched, throat bared. Unable to resist the temptation, he bowed his head, and pressed frantic kisses along her skin.

Trembling inwardly as Castle's lips created a heavy explosion of pleasure in her each time they touched her, Beckett was feeling her self control slipping away from her every second he was inside of her. "I'm sorry," she finally gasped, unable to take the sudden, slight guilt that she couldn't follow what she'd thought of for him for a second time.

"No, no apol… apologies, you're… this is enough. You're enough… what I want," Castle mumbled against her lips before he kissed her fervently. He felt her crying out into his mouth, and her body seemed to go a little crazy, but she was still moving against him. He was a little bit after her that time, but it was no less pleasurable as he moved to press his cheek to hers as hard as he could, groaning her name once, hoping he didn't drag it out for so long it annoyed her.

Feeling Castle nearly collapsing against her when they'd both calmed down, Beckett reached up and stroked the back of his head. "I can make that up to you," she said, though she was smiling that time. "On the thirty-first."

Groaning slightly as he raised his head, Castle said, "Feel free to, but don't feel like you need to, honestly, I was very happy both times you know."

"I know, but I'm saying, I can make it up to you," Beckett said, unable to help a smirk spread across her lips at his wide eyes. But he suddenly became serious; quickly; and she looked at him in slight concern.

"I'll have to make it up to you on your birthday," Castle said simply.

Biting her lower lip as his tone of voice was suddenly husky in quality, Beckett swallowed and said, "I look forward to that."

"But," he sighed then as he got off of her then. "We're going to need to get some sleep. Unless we can get some on the plane?"

"We need to get sleep either way," Beckett answered, knowing that he was trying to see if she was tired or wanted more. "But tomorrow night; tonight; you're welcome to come to my place if you don't have jet lag that bad."

"I would love that," Castle said a little eagerly, sliding his arm under her neck as they lay on their backs with the covers over them, looking up at the ceiling. He smiled when he heard Beckett's soft laugh as their fingers entwined together and said, "I'm going to miss this," he told her suddenly when they'd been quiet for a while.

"Me too," Beckett said, knowing he meant their not worrying about their relationship being discovered. "But… it's not that much longer until the election."

"Yeah," Castle said, his voice having the same slow pace to it. He could sense her unease; there were too many questions still about their future beyond that Tuesday, and it made them both uncomfortable he knew. To change the subject he quickly said, "I'd love to go on another trip though. Not back here, somewhere new that we haven't been, take the girls and go around like we were here."

"And where would that be?" Beckett asked.

"Well, I think we should sort of stay close to here," Castle said.

"San Francisco?" Beckett said.

"Yeah, Seattle?" Castle asked.

"Actually, I went there during Veteran's Day weekend with May and her family; they used to have a houseboat there," Beckett said. "But we could still go."

"Then I'll tell you what I actually was thinking of because I've been to Seattle too. Ever been to Pike Place Market?" Castle said.

"Yes, of course, one of the first places they took me," Beckett said simply. "What about where you were thinking of?"

"A little further north… slightly north," Castle said.

Sighing deeply as she knew he was making her guess, Beckett said, "Vancouver?"

"Good guess," Castle said. He laughed when she pinched his side and said, "No, but seriously, what do you think?"

"You've never been there?" Beckett asked.

"Have you?" Castle asked, raising his head to look at her.

"No, I'm surprised you haven't, that is where seasons one through five of _The X-Files_ were filmed," Beckett commented, smiling at him.

"I know, and I know a couple places already where they filmed," Castle said. "Plus, there's a place called Stanley Park I've always wanted to see. So," he then continued as he turned his head to look at her.

"So?" Beckett said simply, looking straight up and not at him. She laughed when he suddenly turned and kissed at her neck before she could stop him. "I think we'll be going to Vancouver next, but, let's give it some time before we set anything in stone okay?"

"Yeah, I figured things wouldn't be as secure as this trip was," Castle said with a sigh. "Plus we'd have to ask them if they'd want to join us. Also if your dad wants to come."

"Right, well, now that we have that set," Beckett said, stroking his hair as he pressed his cheek to her shoulder then. "We need to get some sleep."

"Yeah, but you don't want to hear about other places I think we could go to?" Castle asked.

"No, I'm fine, like I said, we need to wait, and I don't want to get too excited for a trip that might not happen," Beckett said simply.

"Okay, then let me ask you something," Castle said as he moved to rest his chin on her chest to look at her. "What was your favorite place we went to this trip?"

"You do realize I'm not my daughter right?" Beckett asked, narrowing her eyes at him since he'd asked Julia that same question on their way home from dinner.

"Oh, I do, believe me I do," Castle said. "Seriously."

Sighing, Beckett cupped his cheeks and brought his head close to hers, kissing him tenderly. He responded quickly, and they kept that up for a little longer before she pulled away to speak. "If you're serious and you're not going to leave me alone about it, probably the Academy of Sciences."

"Me too, so we're all in agreement," Castle said; as Julia had said that in answer to his question. "But everything was great."

"It was, I missed it here I have to admit, but while I love May, I had a lot of fun this time around," Beckett said absently. "And I've said that before already I know, it was just a great trip… once we got past work."

"Yeah, let's hope that if we go to Vancouver," Castle said, emphasizing the word if. "We won't get a body falling from the roof of our hotel, or something related to the city."

"Like what?" Beckett asked with a smile.

Castle looked over at the window then as he mused over an answer, and then said, "Like a snowboarder being killed on the slopes and then being left in front of the totem poles in Stanley Park." When he saw Beckett's expression he quickly said, "They had the Winter Olympics there."

"I remember," Beckett said, rolling her eyes. "And an interesting idea… wait, you got an idea for a Nikki Heat book while we were here didn't you?"

"Oh, you noticed," Castle said, though he was in a way surprised she had. When she just looked at him expectantly he finally said, "I did, and it's just a fleeting thing. Maybe I'll write Heat and Rook coming into the city for… who knows, I can get an idea later. But I want to keep the idea of the body being thrown from the roof of the hotel, the vic and killer though will have no relationship with them though, and they'll be helping the SFPD as a favor from a friend of… Rook's? Really, I just got a quick idea and I haven't had the chance to really think it over with everything we've been doing."

"I think it could work if you just filled in the plot holes," Beckett said, moving over as Castle moved up to lie down next to her. "Are you going to include Alcatraz in any way?"

"No, I might mention them seeing it, but it won't be involved," Castle said in a firm tone of voice. He watched as Beckett pressed up against his side as before, and he sighed saying, "Sorry about keeping you awake."

"It's okay, I know you don't want to have that nightmare again, but don't think about Alcatraz," Beckett said. "At the very least, don't see the word as something to fear."

"Yeah, but I count on that for my living," Castle said. When she raised her head to look at him he said, "The power of words to evoke emotions, what, you didn't know that already?" When she smiled and shook her head he said, "But you have a point, Alcatraz is just an island, the bay is just water. I just wish I could have done something on the boat to stop them."

"Oh, you're not alone in that," Beckett said, running the back of her hand along his cheek. "And Castle, you know you can't really be Superman every time we find ourselves in a situation like that. Though I know of course you'd like to be," she ended murmuring mockingly under her breath. She laughed as he tickled her sides, and she grabbed his wrists before pinning them on either side of his head.

"Always forget that," Castle said, referencing her overpowering him.

"You do; now, we really need to get some sleep okay? No more stalling or else I'm kicking you out to chez lounge," Beckett told him as she moved to lie down next to him.

"Oh, cruel," Castle said.

"Why?" Beckett asked.

"Why? Do you remember what we've done on that since… oh you… you're evil," Castle began to say incredulously before he saw the look on her face and realized she was teasing him. "You know reminding me about that isn't going to make me want to get to sleep."

"I know, but it relaxes you," Beckett said simply. She raised herself up and kissed him gently at first, before he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as they together deepened it, her hands tight on his shoulders.

When they needed to breathe, Castle helped his fiancée settle against him and he held her closely before whispering against her temple, "I love you Kate."

"I love you too Castle," Beckett said soothingly, knowing he was remembering his nightmare. She waited then, wanting to make sure he was asleep again. When his breathing had evened out, she raised her head to watch him for a little, smiling as she thought to herself she was incredibly lucky. Not just because he had saved her life; had been by her side when she needed him; but for a more personal reason. They were a family in all but name, and she brushed her lips across his; the barest touch; as she recalled how he'd been the night before in response to Julia's gift.

Lying back down, Beckett fixed the covers over her, and she couldn't help but think about the possible trip to Vancouver. She didn't really care about the location; she just wanted the chance to have an experience like their week in San Francisco had been. She smiled to herself, unable to help recalling their time in the city even though they were still there. The city had always been a special place for her, since she'd brought her parents there when they'd visited her at Stanford. She remembered Fisherman's Wharf, seeing the Pier and sights with her mother, the memory somewhat dim by then. But she found it wasn't a painful thought since she had her own memory of taking Julia and Castle; being with her family.

Beckett closed her eyes on that thought; reminding herself they would be back, wondering how things would develop in their lives by the time they returned to the city by the bay. As she fell asleep she knew already there would be changes in the future when they did return, but she also had the distinct feeling there would be one thing that was going to be a constant; their family.


End file.
